december2017

English 55 Horror Corner (2) – The Blue Team Ram Soffer The great Italian team dominated world bridge for a long time, winning everything in sight from the late 1950s till the mid-1970s. It was a combination of great card players (such as Belladonna, Garozzo and Forquet) and well-developed, innovative bidding systems which kept the Blue Team head and shoulders above the field. The rest of the world had to do something against this juggernaut, and a great step in the right direction was taken when Terence Reese and Jeremy Flint unleashed the Multi 2 ♦ opening in the late 1960s. With Reese suspended due to cheating allegations, Flint partnered Jonathan Cansino, playing for Great Britain against Italy in the 1972 olympiad. Dealer East, Vul E/W ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 85 AK AQ963 KT52 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ T942 J62 J8 J874 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ KQ63 Q87543 75 6 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ AJ7 T9 KT42 AQ93 Contract: 4 ♥ by North, down four Nowadays many experts would look with horror at East’s multi 2♦ opening at unfavorable vulnerability with four good spades and a wretched heart suit, but Flint probably did the right thing, as he knew that one could not beat those Italians with “normal bridge”. The auction developed as follows: West North East South Cansino Forquet Flint Garozzo 2 ♦ Dbl 2 ♥ 3 ♥ Pass 3NT Pass 4 ♥ All Pass !!! Bottom line: the best pair in the world languished in a 2-2 heart fit, scoring a miserable -200, while their British counterparts reached a fine contract of six clubs and made it by guessing trumps correctly. Was this 15-IMPs loss preventable? Let us try to make a careful analysis of the bidding. The usual meaning for South’s double is: a balanced 12-14 hand or any strong (18+) hand. West’s 2♥ bid was a standard “ Pass or Correct”. Now North had to find a bid with his nice 16- HCP hand. A “responsive” double might have solved all problems, but the great Italians probably didn’t have an agreement that double in this sequence was non-penalty. Later authorities such as Andrew Robson and Oliver Segal stated that “If your hand is offensive and you want to bid, but there is no obvious bid to make – double… every double is for take- out unless you and your partner have found a fit” (Partnership Bidding in Bridge, 1993, page 288). Let us try to continue the auction after North doubles for takeout. East Pass es, confirming a