Both vulnerable. South deals.

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xA 2

uQ 4 3

v7 6 4

wK 7 6 5 4

WEST EAST

xK J 9 8 7 5 x10 6 4

uK J 7 u10 9 8 5

v9 8 2 v5 3

w3 wQ J 10 2

SOUTH

xQ 3

uA 6 2

vA K Q J 10

wA 9 8

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1v 1x 2w Pass

2x Pass 2NT Pass

3v Pass 3x Pass

4w Pass 4v Pass

4u Pass 5v Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Three of w

This deal is from the 1959 European Championship won by the legendary Italian Blue Team.

These days, you would expect the auction to go 2NT-3NT and no one would bother to remember the hand, but at both tables five diamonds became the contract.

Where Walter Avarelli declared, West, who had overcalled in spades, led the three of clubs, a likely singleton.

Avarelli drew three rounds of trumps and then led a low heart. West rose with the king and exited with a heart to the ace.

The nine of clubs was run to the jack, declarer took the spade return with the ace, cashed the king of clubs and ruffed a club to set up a long card in the suit.

The queen of hearts was the entry to cash the good club for a spade discard — five diamonds bid and made.

At the other table, where Pietro Forquet and Eugenio Chiaradia, developer of the Blue Club system, were East-West, the play to the first four tricks was identical.

However, when declarer now led a low heart, Chiaradia inserted the jack. Dummy’s queen won and, when declarer continued with a heart to the ace, West jettisoned the king!

Since East could now win the third heart and shift to a spade through the queen, the contract had to go down.

A few years later, Chiaradia was dropped from the Blue Team and replaced by Benito Garozzo, and one of the world’s all-time great partnerships was formed.

But that’s another story!

2008 Tribune Media Services