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Belladonna finds it hard to evaluate his hand **

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 

WestNorthEastSouth
SolowayBelladonnaRubinForquet
33
4??  

Belladonna peers in his hand. He doesn't know and in the end hands you his cards. What would you bid?

Solution

Belladonna saw strengths and weaknesses in his hand. The four-card heart support suggested a raise to 4. On the other hand, the value of the K was questionable, to say the least, in view of its position before the 3 opener.
Weighing the pros and cons, Belladonna decided that opposite an average 3 overcall, he had too little for the raise to 4. Furthermore he saw chances to defeat 4. In short: he passed.

E/NS10 6 5 4 
 9 7 6 2
A 9 6
K 3
A J 8 3 2windroosQ 9 7
K Q4
10 7 4J 8 3
Q 6 4J 10 9 8 5 2
 K 
A J 10 8 5 3
K Q 5 2
A 7

East, Rubin, had chosen this moment to open 3 on an absolute shambles. Nowadays an opening on this kind of thrash is not too uncommon (though first in hand it still is far from normal), but in those days it was almost unheard of. Almost, since it was precisely Ira Rubin who had built up some sort of a reputation for just this kind of action. This puts the spotlight on Belladonna's very uncharacteristic lack of table presence. And table presence was always one of his strengths — in combination with his flawless technique of course.
Anyway, Belladonna's assessment of his hand turned out completely wrong, now that his partner turned out to have the A — and a maximum hand for his overcall.

Rubin didn't have a chance in 4 of course (he went down three), but he wasn't doubled and he expected 4 to make.
Which turned out to be correct: in that contract South would easily have collected 11 tricks.

At the other table Garozzo did not open as East:

WestNorthEastSouth
FrancoEisenbergGarozzoHamilton
pass1
12pass4
passpasspass 

NS thus got an easy ride, ending up in 4, after this uneventful bidding. As mentioned: South easily collected 11 tricks.

The USA won 11 IMPs on the deal and in the end won the final 232 - 198 IMP. The end of an era.

 

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