Contract Bridge

Advocates of artificial bidding methods can point to this deal from the Italy-United States match at the 1965 world team championship as illustrating both the up-side and down-side of such methods. At the first table, with Howard Schenken and Peter Leventritt North-South for the U.S., the bidding went as shown.

South’s one notrump indicated 15 to 18 points. Two clubs was Stayman, asking South to bid a four-card major if he had one. East (Walter Avarelli, playing with Giorgio Belladonna) doubled to show clubs. From then on, the bidding was natural, and Leventritt had no trouble making four hearts, losing only two trump tricks and a club to score 620 points.

At the second table, the bidding was more spirited and also much more artificial. With Benito Garozzo and Pietro Forquet North-South for Italy, the bidding went: South West North East 1 ♣ Pass 1 ♠ 2 NT(!)

Pass 5 ♦ (!) Pass Pass Dble

The opening one-club bid by Forquet was strong and artificial, promising at least 17 high-card points. North’s one-spade response was also artificial, showing an ace and a king, or three kings; it was coincidental that he actually had a spade suit.

The two-notrump bid by East (Dorothy Hayden, playing with B. Jay Becker) was the “unusual notrump,” announcing length in both minor suits. Becker’s leap to five diamonds was an attempt to short circuit the major-suit game it seemed likely the opponents could make.

The Italians thus found themselves confronted by a five-diamond bid — and had not yet bid a real suit! They did the best they could by doubling, but the two-trick defeat for +300 yielded a net gain of 320 points for the U.S. team.