DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Italy’s “Blue Team” won a string of world titles over three decades. Inevitably, there were rumors of cheating but, due to a fear of lawsuits, few formal inquiries. Now, expert Avon Wilsmore has written “Under the Table: The Case Against the Blue Team.”

Examining hundreds of deals, he found bizarre actions, especially doubtful overcalls or odd takeout doubles, that worked well when partner’s hand was ideal.

Wilsmore writes with suspicion of a deal where an Italian opened three diamonds, both vulnerable, onNone,52,KQ106543 2,K97.

The next player bid three spades, and partner doubled. He ... bid five diamonds! It was cold; partner had the singleton jack of diamonds.

The author’s evidence ranges from doubtful to compelling; a reader must judge for himself. Today’s deal is striking: An Italian South passed North’s double for plus 800. In the replay, four hearts failed.

Wilsmore considers this deal telling. But to prove cheating, you must not

only uncover the way by which illicit information was passed (Wilsmore mentions the placement of cigarettes), you must show that a winning action was thus guided. Could South have known enough about North’s hand (and EastWest’s hands) to know that passing was a winning action? Would he not fear scrutiny after taking such an outlandish action at the right moment? That is unclear, but a world-class expert has told me a Blue Team member admitted cheating to him.