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The 1989 European Championships in Turku, Finland, Great-Britain vs. Austria.
Englishman Tony Forrester (photo), then already a world class player (he still is, so he is at the top for decades now), deliberately underbid, giving the opponents all the rope they needed to hang themselves. Of course, with hindsight it is easy to say that the opponent in question should have known better. But it is the hallmark of the real crack to recognise opportunities in which he can make life miserable for his opponents.
| S/NS | ♠ | A Q 6 3 2 | | | | ♥ | 7 6 5 4 | | ♦ | 6 | | ♣ | 10 8 6 | | ♠ | 10 4 |  | ♠ | K | | ♥ | A J 9 8 3 | ♥ | K Q 10 2 | | ♦ | 10 8 7 3 | ♦ | J 9 5 2 | | ♣ | 9 5 | ♣ | K Q J 3 | | | ♠ | J 9 8 7 5 | | | ♥ | — | | ♦ | A K Q 4 | | ♣ | A 7 4 2 |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| Fucik | Brock | Kubak | Forrester | | — | — | — | 1♠ | | pass | 3♠ | double | pass | | 4♥ | pass | pass | 4♠ | | pass | pass | double | pass | | pass | pass | | |
Forrester's pass over Kubak's double was clever. Of course he knew he could make 4♠ with his fine South hand, but by passing first and bidding 4♠ later he suggested he was saving against 4♥*. At least, that is what Kubak must have been thinking. How else can his second double, on a hand with so little defensive values, be explained? The result of East's penalty double was disappointing to say the least... to EW that is. The declarer made all thirteen tricks! Forrester ruffed the heart lead and played a spade to the ♠A. When this brought down the ♠K, Forrester switched over to a cross-ruff. He pitched two clubs on the ♦KQ and ruffed four hearts in South and a diamond and three clubs in North. +1390 to NS. * A second psychological explanation for South's success: in view of his heart void, EW were fairly certain to have a good heart fit. If South were to bid 4♠ directly over East's first (take-out) double, West would probably be inclined to bid 5♥: he would feel the urge to convey his message ('I have a heart fit'). So South let him tell his story at the four level, hoping to be left alone in playing 4♠ after that. West, having shown his heart suit, would be less inclined to bid at the five level then. True, 5♥ would have gone down four (+800 to NS, not a good save therefore), but South couldn't visualise that. In view of his hand and the bidding until East's take-out double, it looked like NS's best bet to try to be allowed to play in 4♠, hoping for EW not to bid 5♥. The fact that NS could make a slam (and EW didn't have a good save) was hardly possible to see for South (the slam was on because of North's extra spade length). One thing stands out a mile: East shouldn't have fallen for this. His first double had shown all there was to show about his hand. He had nothing to add, so he should have passed 4♠. |