Contract Bridge

Odd things sometimes happen even in world championships. For example, take this deal from the match between Italy and Australia in 1976. With Arturo Franco North and Benito Garozzo South for Italy, the bidding went as shown, ending with the Italian pair playing in two hearts redoubled on a 3-2 trump fit! Furthermore, despite West’s K-J- 8-7- 3-2 of trump, the contract could not be defeated!

West led a trump, won by South with the queen. Garozzo cashed the A- K of spades and led a third spade. West could have ruffed with the jack and led another trump, but this would not have prevented declarer from scoring dummy’s ten of hearts later by ruffing a fourth round of spades. West realized this and therefore discarded a club on the third spade.

Garozzo ruffed with dummy’s nine, led a club to his ace and played another spade. This time West ruffed high and returned a trump, but he was fighting a losing battle.

Garozzo finished with three trump tricks — the queen, nine and ace — plus the A- K of spades, A- K of diamonds and ace of clubs for a total of eight tricks and a score of 790 points.

At the other table, with an Australian pair North- South, the bidding went:

North East South West 1 ♦ Pass 1 ♠ Pass 1 NT Pass 3 NT East led a heart, dummy’s queen losing to the king, and West returned a heart to the ace.

Declarer led a diamond to his ten, which won, and scored nine tricks for plus 600 when the diamonds divided 3- 3. So, Italy gained only 190 points on the deal, but it was all very exciting while it lasted.