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Belladonna finds it hard to evaluate his hand ** |
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Monte Carlo 1976: the final of the World Teams Championship (contesting the Bermuda Bowl). Slowly the era of the famous Italian Blue Team was coming to an end. During twenty years the Italians had been totally superior to their opponents but their lead was getting smaller and in the end disappeared completely.
Still, in this final against the USA the Italians (not the complete line-up of those twenty successful years, by the way) got off to a good start and when the following deal hit the table, they were leading by 60 - 15 IMPs.
Belladonna, North, has: | E/NS | | | ♠ | 10 6 5 4 | | | ♥ | 9 7 6 2 | | | ♦ | A 9 6 | | | ♣ | K 3 | |
| West | North | East | South |
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| Soloway | Belladonna | Rubin | Forquet | | — | — | 3♣ | 3♥ | | 4♣ | ?? | | |
Belladonna peers in his hand. He doesn't know and in the end hands you his cards. What would you bid? |
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Solution
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Quarter final Bridge Olympiad 2000 in Maastricht, Netherlands: Norway takes on England. We're kibitzing East, Englishman Callaghan. He and his partner Burn face Norwegian star pair Helgemo-Helness.
Callaghan has a healthy 17 count, but to his surprise he sees South, Helgemo, head straight for 3NT after North, Helness, has indicated to have opened lightly. Oh well, Helgemo is Helgemo... | W/— | ♠ | A 8 2 | | | | ♥ | 7 6 | | ♦ | K Q J 7 5 4 | | ♣ | 6 3 | | | |  | ♠ | J 7 4 | | | | ♥ | K 9 4 | | | | ♦ | A 9 | | | | ♣ | A K Q 4 2 |
| West | North | East | South |
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| Burn | Helness | Callaghan | Helgemo | | — | 1♦ | 1NT | double | | 2♦1 | pass | 2♥ | pass2 | | pass | 3♦3 | pass | 3NT | | pass | pass | pass | |
1 Transfer
2 Forcing: after South's double of 1NT NS either play themselves or double EW
3 Minimum for his opening bid (weakest possible bid) West leads the ♥J to South's ♥Q.
Declarer plays a diamond to the ♦K, East ducking. Next East wins the ♦Q with the ♦A and sees everyone follow suit, West showing an odd number.
Callaghan takes some time to think things over but then finds the correct return. Can you match him? |
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Solution
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To overcall lightly or not to overcall lightly? ** |
The 1970 Vanderbilt final, one of the North-American major tournaments.
Canadian pair Sami Kehela – Eric Murray are part of an American team. It is considered the underdog, since it is playing the strongest American team of that time: the Dallas Aces.
This is the opening deal of the match (rotated for the reader's convenience). Murray, West, faces a decision: | S/— | | | | | ♠ | Q 5 | | | | | ♥ | J 8 3 2 | | | | ♦ | 6 | | | | ♣ | Q 10 9 5 4 2 | | |
| West | North | East | South |
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| Murray | Goldman | Kehela | Eisenberg | | — | — | — | 2♣1 | ??
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1 Conventional, strong
Should he — with nobody vulnerable — try to disturb the opponents' bidding? Or is that too risky?
What would you do: the risky overcall or the passive pass? |
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Answer
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Maastricht, Netherlands, the 2000 World Teams Olympiad.
In the semi-final Poland takes on Italy. One of the Polish pairs is Kwiecien – Pszczola. Already for many years the latter's name has caused pronunciation problems in the international bridge community. This improbable string of consonants has turned many a VuGraph commentator into a stuttering wreck. Understandably most of his colleagues call him ‘Pepsi Cola’, therefore.
Pepsi Cola is East and holds: | S/NS | | | | | | | | ♠ | A K J 9 3 | | | | ♥ | J 9 8 3 | | | | ♦ | K J | | | | ♣ | Q 8 |
| West | North | East | South |
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| Kwiecien | De Falco
| Pszczola | Ferraro | | — | —
| — | pass | | pass | 4♥ | ??
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Nasty, such a high level opening right in front of you. What is East to do?
A ‘safe’ pass? 4♠ perhaps? Or a somewhat off-shape take-out double? |
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Solution
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Maastricht, Netherlands, the 2000 Olympiad. In the women's semi-final Norway faces the eternal favourite, the USA. Though this is, according to some critics, not the USA's strongest team, it is capable of winning any championship.
We are sitting behind Norway's Eva Lund Heitman, West, who faces a bidding decision, fourth in hand. | N/NS | | | | | ♠ | K Q
| | | | | ♥ | 5 2 | | | | ♦ | A Q 2 | | | | ♣ | A Q J 8 5 3 | | |
| West | North | East | South |
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| Heitman | Hamman | Langeland | Suthelin | —
| 2♠1 | pass | pass | | ?? | | | |
1 Weak two Heitman has no idea and hands you her cards. What do you bid? |
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Solution
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Argentinean bidding problem ** |
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World Championship Teams 1995 (contesting the Bermuda Bowl), Beijing. Argentina does well in the Round Robin and even leads its group for some time. But then the South-Americans lose heavily against the Netherlands and next they have to face the new group leader, France.
Argentinean Monsegur picks up as West: | N/NS | | | | | ♠ | A 9 8 6 3
| | | | | ♥ | 10 4
| | | | ♦ | —
| | | | ♣ | K J 7 6 5 3
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| West | North | East | South |
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| Monsegur | Reiplinger | Mooney | Soulet | | — | 3♦ | 3♥ | pass | | ?? | | | |
West has quite a nice hand but the deal has all the markings of a misfit, since South doesn't support diamonds... Partner may very well have length in diamonds aside from his known length in hearts.
Tricky. Monsegur chooses the easy way out: he hands you his cards and wishes you luck...
What is your bid? |
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Solution
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