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Article 7A43 by Richard Pavlicek
| 3 NT |  K J 10 6 4 K 9 6 2 8 A Q 8
| None Vul West Bocchi Pass Pass Fantoni Pass Pass | North Helness 2 3 Lauria 2 3
| East Madala Pass Pass Pass Nunes Pass Pass Pass | South Helgemo 1 NT 2 3 NT Versace 1 NT 2 3 NT | ||
| Q 8 2 A J 10 3 K 10 9 5 3 2
| 
| 9 7 5 Q 4 7 2 J 10 9 7 4 3
| |||||
| Lead: 3
| A 3 8 7 5 A Q J 6 4 K 6 5 | ||||||
Helness of Monaco (not to be confused with Hell yes, I’m from Norway) described his 5-4 shape with a Jacoby transfer sequence. Lauria’s method is unfamiliar to me, but I’m sure it indicated the same shape. Both Souths could then deduce the absence of a major fit and place the contract. Most American players would begin with Stayman, followed by a jump to 3 (or 3 if playing Smolen) — but it’s pointless to compare our primitive ways with super-powers the likes of Italy and Monaco.
Both Wests led the 3 — attitude (I think) for Bocchi, Slavinski for Fantoni — and both declarers happily accepted the cheap trick in dummy. Five rounds of spades followed with a routine finesse, East pitching two clubs; South, a heart and two diamonds; and West, two diamonds. Both declarers then cashed A-Q to leave the following ending with North on lead.
| Declarer next crossed to the K, and West had to discard a heart to protect the K. A heart toward dummy then left West defenseless. If he ducked, he would be endplayed on the next round. If he won the ace, he could only choose his poison: lead a diamond into the waiting jaws, or return a heart and watch dummy take the rest. Helgemo thus won 12 tricks. (So did Versace according to the play record, though he was mysteriously credited with only 11.) | North leads | — K 9 6 2 — 8
| |||
| — A J 10 K 10 —
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| — Q 4 7 J 10
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| — 8 7 A Q K | |||||
A on the K. Declarer must now lose two tricks; if he tries to establish hearts, East can gain the lead to cash a club. From West’s point of view he is D.O.A. to win two tricks if South remains with Q-x, so the only hope is to find partner with it.I have no doubt that Bocchi and Fantoni would both have found the jettison against six notrump — ignoring the fact that they wouldn’t create the predicament (a safe club lead stands out against a slam) — but a measly overtrick does not pique the interest in a long IMP match, especially this time when Italy had a sizable lead.
A-Q-10-3, and East J-4. It would not be sufficient to keep A-Q-10 (or A-Q-3) in the above ending, as discarding the ace would still leave West in a bind; declarer could force West to win the defenders’ heart trick with routine avoidance technique. Instead West must jettison the queen early, retaining A-10-3, which stymies declarer.
If West began with A-Q-J-3 and East 10-4, a winning defense is still available thanks to declarer’s lack of communication in diamonds. West must divest both quacks while the lead is in dummy, coming down to A-3 K-10-9, then the ace goes away on the K as before.
For an extreme jettison defense see the puzzle A Ditch in Time.
© 2013 Richard Pavlicek