Italian Blue Team Ace Finds Skilful Gambit

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday February 4, 2000

DENIS HOWARD

Italy, with a highly promising group of young players to augment its successful senior team, may be heading towards another purple patch in its bridge history.

The famous Italian Blue Team dominated world bridge for many years, winning 13 Bermuda Bowls (10 of them consecutively) and three Olympiads in the period 1956-1975.

One of the early Blue Team stars was Guglielmo Siniscalco, who showed great skill on the following deal from a European team game:

At first blush this contract looks easy: six diamonds and five clubs make 11 tricks, even if the A-Q of spades are with West for his opening bid.

But when one looks a little more closely, as Siniscalco did, there is a nasty problem: the clubs are blocked. The high spot cards in declarer's hand will prevent the fifth club being enjoyed after trumps have been drawn, dummy then having no entries outside the club suit itself. Thus the question is how to break the log-jam?

Declarer won the opening club lead in dummy and played the jack of hearts, ruffing high when East covered with the queen. The jack of diamonds was then overtaken by dummy's queen and the 10 of hearts led, covered by East's king and again ruffed high. Declarer then played his diamond 6 to dummy's 8 and led the heart 8. When East was unable to cover, declarer discarded a club!

West won the heart, but could do no harm to the contract. His heart exit was ruffed, declarer drew the last trump, cashed the queen of clubs and led his last club to dummy's ace, making his contract with six tricks in diamonds and five in clubs.

With the spade honours favourably placed, East-West do well in five hearts, losing only three tricks.

The Bayside Summer Teams is on February 13. The contact telephone number in yesterday's column was incorrect. The contact is 9388 2662.