Contract Bridge

FAMOUS HAND

In this deal from the 1997 world team championship final between France and the United States, judgment rather than superior card play or systemic bidding differences played the key role in a substantial gain for the French.

The bidding shown occurred when Bobby Wolff and Bob Hamman, for two decades one of the world’s foremost pairs, were North-South for the U.S., with Michel Perron and Paul Chemla East-West for France. Hamman’s opening club bid was strong and artificial, and by the time it was his next turn, the opponents were in five clubs. Hamman elected to make a forcing pass, whereupon Wolff rebid his diamonds.

Hamman now showed his true colors by bidding five hearts, and Wolff was at the crossroads. He knew that a cuebid of six clubs, showing firstround control of clubs and implying interest in a grand slam, was the correct bid, but he feared that if only a small slam could be made, his cuebid might provoke the opponents into taking a profitable sacrifice at seven clubs. So he settled for a raise to six hearts, figuring that plus 1,430 or 1,460 was better than setting seven clubs doubled four or five tricks.

Wolff was correct in this regard, since seven clubs doubled would probably have gone down five for 1,100 points. But the tactic did not allow for the possibility that the French pair at the other table might bid and make seven hearts for a score of 2,210.

Wolff’s “less is more” strategy did indeed backfire when Christian Mari and Alain Levy reached the grand slam despite similar interference by Eric Rodwell and Jeff Meckstroth. The 750-point difference gave the French a pickup of 13 IMPs, which helped them capture the world title that year.