MayBridge 2018 D

English 55 Horror Corner (6) Misplayed Grand Ram Soffer Our last column featured the 1964 Olympiad in New York. Here is another deal from that event, taken from the USA-Italy match in the qualifying stage. Dealer South, Vul N/S ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ A864 AKQ AQ96 K3 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 97 T KJ532 AT965 West North East South Mitchell Pabis-Ticci Stayman D’Alelio 2NT Pass 4NT Pass 5 ♦ Pass 5NT Pass 6 ♦ Pass 7 ♦ All Pass It turns out that a 2NT opening showing a weak hand with both minors is not a modern gadget – some Italian pairs were already using it in the 1960s. The rest of thebiddingwasnot verysophisticated. North asked for aces, then kings, assumed his partner’s king was in diamonds (not spades) and bid the grand slam. Before reading on, try to plan the play after West leads the ♥ 5. Would you draw trumps and play on clubs, or is there a better way? Here is the complete deal: ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ A864 AKQ AQ96 K3 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ QT52 J8653 4 J87 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ KJ3 9742 T87 Q42 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 97 T KJ532 AT965 It turns out that the average player, after drawing trumps in three rounds, is lucky to find clubs 3-3 and makes his grand slam easily. However, a member of the legendary Blue Team should do better than rely on trumps 2-2 or trumps 3-1 and club 3-3. Massimo D’Alelio saw that a dummy-reversal plan based on ruffing spades in hand would offer better chances. The correct play: start with ♥ AKQ, discarding both spades from hand, ruff a spade, cross to dummy with ♦ A, ruff a second spade, cross with ♣K, ruff the last spade with ♦ J and cash ♦ K. As West discards and the ♦ T doesn’t drop, you still need some luck in clubs, namely that