35th World Interzonal Team Championships, Paris, France Wednesday, 31 October 2001

The phantom Analyst

The play of the following deal - from the third set of the Bermuda Bowl quarterfinal match between USA I and Italy - generated no small amount of comment while Norberto Bocchi was working out his line of play.

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
  ª 8 7 6 3 2
© K 9 6 2
¨ 2
§ K 6 4
ª Q
© A 7 5 4
¨ A 9 8 4
§ A J 10 3
Bridge deal ª K 5
© J 10 8
¨ K Q 10 7 6 3
§ Q 9
  ª A J 10 9 4
© Q 3
¨ J 5
§ 8 7 5 2

West North East South
  Pass 1NT Pass
2§ Pass 2¨ Pass
3¨ (1) Pass 3© Pass
3NT Pass 4© Pass
4NT Pass 5¨ All Pass

(1) Singleton in one major, four cards in the other major.

Bocchi, after discovering his partner had a singleton spade, was justifiably concerned about a notrump contract with only three spades between the two hands. His partner, Giorgio Duboin, was justifiably concerned about the 4-3 fit - 4© was going down.
After Eric Rodwell, South, led the ªA, the Vugraph analysts speculated at length about whether Rodwell would find the killing heart switch. Any other play would give Bocchi time to pull trumps and set up clubs for two heart discards.
Rodwell considered his continuation for some time before finally switching to the ©3. Jeff Meckstroth, North, won the ©K and continued the suit to the 10, queen and ace. It looked as though the contract was indeed dead, but somewhere in the audience, unheard by most, came the comment about Bocchi's 5¨ contract: "Now it's cold."
That keen analyst may never be known, but he was correct. Whether declarer should find the winning line, 11 tricks were available. Here's how Bocchi could have made it: win the heart ace, play two rounds of diamonds, ending in hand, cash the ªK, then run trumps. This will be the end position:

  ª --
© 9 6
¨
§ K 6
ª -
© 7 5
¨ -
§ A J
Bridge deal ª -
© J
¨ 6
§ Q 9
  ª J 10
© -
¨ -
§ 8 7

On the last diamond, declarer discards dummy's §J, and North has no answer. If he discards a heart, declarer cashes the jack, dropping the 9, and gets to dummy with the §A. If North pitches a club, declarer plays over to the §A, dropping the king, and returns to hand with the ©J to cash the §Q for trick 11.
Whether it is advisable to take this line of play (North might have started with only two hearts, in which case taking the club finesse will suffice to bring in the contract), the phantom analyst was definitely correct.
The 100% play to defeat 5¨ is to switch to the heart queen at trick two. Declarer has no answer to that play.


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