Classic Hand from the Past

[PhilG007]

[hv=pc=n&s=s976h743dqt83cq92&n=shaqt9852dkj542ca&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=4spp4np5d5s6dppdppp]266|200[/hv]

 

This deal comes from the World Pairs Championship 1966 played in Amsterdam The Netherlands.

You are South. On your right is the formidable Italian legend Benito Garozzo. You become declarer in 6♦

after the auction shown. West leads K♠ which you ruff in dummy,Garozzo playing the A♠

You lead the K♦ taken by West with the A♦ West returns 3♠ You ruff again in dummy,

Garozzo playing Q♠ You lead a trump to hand,both opponents following

Obviously the contract hinges on the heart suit. How do you play from here? What do you make of East's high

spade discards?

[ahydra]

What did E play on the diamond?

 

ahydra

[manudude03]

Small to the queen. East might have doubled with a heart void, and I really don't think East would honestly show the ♥K.

[NickRW]

Small to the queen. East might have doubled with a heart void, and I really don't think East would honestly show the ♥K.

 

Except maybe as a double bluff

[Tramticket]

Small to the queen. East might have doubled with a heart void

 

You lead the ♥7 and west follows with the ♥6. The possible cases are:

- West ♥6 East ♥KJ - There is nothing you can do - so let's ignore (it's only about 4%).

- West ♥J6 East ♥K - You need to play the ace.

- West ♥K6 East ♥J - You need to play the queen.

- West ♥KJ6 East ♥Void - You need to run the seven.

 

If we assume that East has an eight-card spade suit (together with the two diamonds already seen), the odds clearly favour running the seven - East will be void about 58% of the time. but it is only about 19% chance for East to hold each of singleton ♥K or ♥J. Without any other information it must be best to run the seven.

 

What do we make of East's actions? I find Manudude03's argument, that East has an easy Lightner double with a heart void, very persuasive. But two things trouble me: (1) I wonder whether west would find the heart lead looking at ♥KJ6 and a longer club suit! and (2) If East makes a lightner double, North is likely to run to 6♥, where he will be forced to get everything right. It seems possible to me that East was frantically trying to persuade his partner that he really did have a void, but his partner didn't give him a ruff when in with the ♦A because he had notice the lack of a double.

 

Maybe I'm over-thinking things but running the ♥7 might really be correct!?

 

[Edit: corrected typo].

[Lovera]

It's always lovely to see these hands played at high level.

[PhilG007]

[hv=pc=n&s=s976h743dqt83cq92&n=shaqt9852dkj542ca&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=4spp4np5d5s6dppdppp]266|200[/hv]

 

This deal comes from the World Pairs Championship 1966 played in Amsterdam The Netherlands.

You are South. On your right is the formidable Italian legend Benito Garozzo. You become declarer in 6♦

after the auction shown. West leads K♠ which you ruff in dummy,Garozzo playing the A♠

You lead the K♦ taken by West with the A♦ West returns 3♠ You ruff again in dummy,

Garozzo playing Q♠ You lead a trump to hand,both opponents following

Obviously the contract hinges on the heart suit. How do you play from here? What do you make of East's high

spade discards?

 

 

 

 

OK disappointed to see that while so many viewed the post,only a few attempted it. Maybe it was too high brow for them(?!)

Anyway,the actual declarer,who was no slouch,saw Garozzo's high spade plays and reflected on what they might mean.

Surely they must be suit preference signals screaming for a switch to hearts. Obviously he must be void in the suit.

With a twinge of expectation he led the ♥7 and finessed. As he did so the audience(the match was being played

on Bridgerama)broke out into vigorous applause...which suddenly died away when it lost to East's singleton J♥ (!)

This was the complete deal:-

 

[hv=pc=n&s=s976h743dqt83cq92&w=sk3hk6da9ck876543&n=shaqt9852dkj542ca&e=saqjt8542hjd76cjt]399|300[/hv]

 

South was really distraught and bemoaned his ill fortune But the editor of the tournament book was scathing about South's

superficial analysis:-

 

"As I see it,declarer had three clues which should have convinced him to put his faith in the simple heart finesse

1) Recapitulate the bidding. Who doubled? If Garozzo had really been void in heart HE would have doubled to

ask for an unxpected lead.

2) When Garozzo played the A♠ he did not know that his partner held the ace of trumps. Even if he did have a

heart void,he probably would have contented himself with a small spade for West would scarcely have seen any

prospects in a club switch. Again, when West had taken his A♦ and played another spade,to play the

Q♠could no longer help his side.

3) To consider that a player of West's ability(another Italian grandmaster)would fail to shift to a heart was

insulting and showed very poor judgement"

[PhilG007]

[hv=pc=n&s=s976h743dqt83cq92&n=shaqt9852dkj542ca&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=4spp4np5d5s6dppdppp]266|200[/hv]

 

This deal comes from the World Pairs Championship 1966 played in Amsterdam The Netherlands.

You are South. On your right is the formidable Italian legend Benito Garozzo. You become declarer in 6♦

after the auction shown. West leads K♠ which you ruff in dummy,Garozzo playing the A♠

You lead the K♦ taken by West with the A♦ West returns 3♠ You ruff again in dummy,

Garozzo playing Q♠ You lead a trump to hand,both opponents following

Obviously the contract hinges on the heart suit. How do you play from here? What do you make of East's high

spade discards?

 

 

 

 

OK disappointed to see that while so many viewed the post,only a few attempted it. Maybe it was too high brow for them(?!)

Anyway,the actual declarer,who was no slouch,saw Garozzo's high spade plays and reflected on what they might mean.

Surely they must be suit preference signals screaming for a switch to hearts. Obviously he must be void in the suit.

With a twinge of expectation he led the ♥7 and finessed. As he did so the audience(the match was being played

on Bridgerama)broke out into vigorous applause...which suddenly died away when it lost to East's singleton J♥ (!)

This was the complete deal:-

 

[hv=pc=n&s=s976h743dqt83cq92&w=sk3hk6da9ck876543&n=shaqt9852dkj542ca&e=saqjt8542hjd76cjt]399|300[/hv]

 

South was really distraught and bemoaned his ill fortune But the editor of the tournament book was scathing about South's

superficial analysis:-

 

"As I see it,declarer had three clues which should have convinced him to put his faith in the simple heart finesse

1) Recapitulate the bidding. Who doubled? If Garozzo had really been void in heart HE would have doubled to

ask for an unxpected lead.

2) When Garozzo played the A♠ he did not know that his partner held the ace of trumps. Even if he did have a

heart void,he probably would have contented himself with a small spade for West would scarcely have seen any

prospects in a club switch. Again, when West had taken his A♦ and played another spade,to play the

Q♠could no longer help his side.

3) To consider that a player of West's ability(another Italian grandmaster)would fail to shift to a heart was

insulting and showed very poor judgement"

[Lovera]

"The admission of Holland to the 1966 World Championship held in St. Vincent is largely due to the dynamic personality of Cornelius "Bob" Slavenburg. An hour before leaving for the Italian border, Slavenburg and his partner, Kreynes, commanded the London Times Sunday tournament classification, reserved for couples of international rank. From St. Vincent Slavenburg and Kreynes went straight to Amsterdam to win the World Championship at pairs."(from "The Bridge Immortals" by Victor Mollo, 1967).

[Lovera]

OK disappointed to see that while so many viewed the post,only a few attempted it. Maybe it was too high brow for them(?!)

Anyway,the actual declarer,who was no slouch,saw Garozzo's high spade plays and reflected on what they might mean.

Surely they must be suit preference signals screaming for a switch to hearts. Obviously he must be void in the suit.

With a twinge of expectation he led the ♥7 and finessed. As he did so the audience(the match was being played

on Bridgerama)broke out into vigorous applause...which suddenly died away when it lost to East's singleton J♥ (!)

This was the complete deal:-

 

[hv=pc=n&s=s976h743dqt83cq92&w=sk3hk6da9ck876543&n=shaqt9852dkj542ca&e=saqjt8542hjd76cjt]399|300[/hv]

 

South was really distraught and bemoaned his ill fortune But the editor of the tournament book was scathing about South's

superficial analysis:-

 

"As I see it,declarer had three clues which should have convinced him to put his faith in the simple heart finesse

1) Recapitulate the bidding. Who doubled? If Garozzo had really been void in heart HE would have doubled to

ask for an unxpected lead.

2) When Garozzo played the A♠ he did not know that his partner held the ace of trumps. Even if he did have a

heart void,he probably would have contented himself with a small spade for West would scarcely have seen any

prospects in a club switch. Again, when West had taken his A♦ and played another spade,to play the

Q♠could no longer help his side.

3) To consider that a player of West's ability(another Italian grandmaster)would fail to shift to a heart was

insulting and showed very poor judgement"

If this analysis is superficial there is another one published ?