Following the success of an Italian team in the Reisinger BAM Teams at the US Fall Nationals, we have hot-tailed it across the Atlantic to Salsomaggiore in northern Italy. This is the venue for the final of the Italian Bridge Federation’s annual “Cup for Men”.

The two teams who have made it through numerous knockout rounds to reach this final are VINCI (Francesco Saverio Vinci, Giovanni Donati, Giorgio Duboin, Fabrizio Hugony, Lorenzo Lauria, Agustin Madala, Alfredo Versace and npc Alessandro Piana) and the team representing the Bridge Club Forte dei Marmi, COLOTTO (Giuseppe Colotto, Valerio Barra, Michele Cammarata, Camillo Gaddi, Claudio Pochini, Piergiorgio Rosa, Cristiano Valsega and Filippo Viggiano).

The format of the final is a 48-board match divided into three 16-board segments. Just one problem this week. With only your side vulnerable, you are North holding:

What action, if any, do you take?

Those watching live on BBO VuGraph did not have to wait long for the first major swing. If both of your pairs in a match are going to have a bidding misunderstanding, having them both on the same deal will reduce the cost, and that is exactly what happened to the COLOTTO team on this early deal.

Lorenzo Lauria made a lead-directing double of North’s Stayman bid, and Claudio Pochini responded 3♣. Although not alerted or explained in the VuGraph records, it looks as if this showed two four-card majors. Giuseppe Colotto’s jump to 4♦ is harder to explain. It looks like Pochini took this as a cue-bid and a slam try, as he responded by showing his spade control. Of course, the North hand had no interest beyond game, so my guess is that Colotto intended his 4♦ bid as a transfer to hearts.

Climbing a level higher than necessary proved fatal for the North/South pair on this layout. Lauria led his singleton diamond, so the defenders collected a ruff to go with their two minor-suit aces. N/S -100 rated to cost a game swing, but events at the other table rendered the score here almost irrelevant…

In the replay, Fabrizio Hugony (left) opened with a Strong Club and Francesco Vinci’s 2♣ response looks like a transfer, showing diamonds and game-forcing values. Piergiorgio Rosa’s lead-directing double looks normal enough, but it seems likely that Valerio Barra missed the alert of 2♣, and he therefore thought his partner’s double was for takeout. When Barra bid 2♦, the doubling began. Perhaps the eight-card club fit at the three-level would have been better, but East/West were already a long way overboard irrespective of which suit was trumps.

Declarer managed to take four tricks in 2♠-doubled: N/S +1100 and 15 IMPs to VINCI.

On the final deal of the set, both West players declared 3NT on the same lead.

An unusual Stayman variation allowed South to get in a lead-directing double of spades, and it seems at first glance as if a spade lead will hold declarer to eight tricks. However, one of the world’s best declarers went looking for ghosts, and thus fell at an early hurdle.

The opening spade lead sent to the eight, ten and ace, and Versace began by cashing the ♣Q. When South followed with the ♣10, declarer then ran the ♣8 on the second round. Is this not a blind spot? If North had started with ♣J-9-7-3, would he not simply cover the eight to ensure a stopper in the suit?

The upshot was that Pochini won with the ♣J, crossed to the ♥A, and took four spade tricks to put the contract two down. E/W -200. Luckily, this was an error that was only likely to cost 3 IMPs for an extra undertrick. Or, was it?

At this table, Hugony came in with a 2♠ overcall to ensure the best start for the defence. Again, declarer won the opening spade lead with the ace and started on clubs. Whilst it looks as if Valerio Barra has only eight tricks before he has to allow North in to play a second spade, note what happened to the South hand when declarer cashed his clubs.

Hugony could afford to throw two diamonds, but what could he discard when the last club winner was played? If he throws another diamond, declarer makes three tricks in that suit. Throwing a heart is no good either, as declarer then plays three rounds of diamonds, endplaying South to concede the ninth trick to the ♠Q.

At the table, Hugony released a spade. That meant that declarer could play a heart, setting up his ninth trick in that suit. North won with the ♥A and played a second spade through dummy’s queen, but South now had only three winners to take. E/W +600 and 13 IMPs to COLOTTO.

At the end of the first of three stanzas, VINCI led by 9 IMPs, 32-23.

Having useful toys can be of great advantage in the bidding, but they can also sometimes prove to be a handicap. Witness events on this early deal from the second set…

Cristiano Valsega opened with a diamond pre-empt in second seat at red, and Michele Cammarata (right) wasted little time on the auction. Blackwood confirmed that his partner held the ♦K, and that was enough for him to jump to the grand slam.

Dummy was probably something of a disappointment. With a doubleton spade in his hand, and thus only one ruff in the short trump hand, declarer found himself with just twelve tricks. However, luck was smiling on North/South today, and the fall of the ♣Q promoted the ♣J into the thirteenth trick. N/S +2140.

In the other room, North/South were playing what my students call ’Pre-empt Blackwood’…

Camillo Gaddi (left) is an experienced international player, having first represented the micro-state of San Marino at the 2004 World Team Olympiad.

Agustin Madala was able to inquire with 4♣ after his partner’s pre-empt. You can see the advantages in theory: With the number of possible key cards held by a pre-emptive opener limited to two plus the trump queen, this method allows responder to assess slam prospects below game. On this occasion, though, South’s response happened to be 4♠ (showing one key card plus the queen), and Gaddi took full advantage by doubling. When Agustin Madala now bid 7♦, Filippo Viggiano made use of the favourable vulnerability to take what was very likely to be a cheap save. And, so it proved.

Declarer managed to scramble six tricks, which meant that he escaped for a relatively cheap N/S +1700 and 10 IMPs to COLOTTO.

Yes, with the ♣Q falling, North/South can make 13 tricks in no-trumps. Would you have been bidding it on that North hand?

Those 10 IMPs virtually squared the match, but it was not long before they were headed back in the other direction, with interest. One North player had to answer this week’s problem…

East/West climbed all the way to 2♦, leaving Cammarata to decide whether to back in. Yes, his partner is marked with a reasonable share of the high cards but, with only 4-3 in the unbid suits, is there any guarantee of a fit?

Even if North doubles, can South do any more than give preference with 3♣? That looks like +110 and, with 2♦ going one down, N/S +50, that doesn’t look like a big deal.

In the replay, East started with a weak (12-14) 1NT and Giorgio Duboin (right) got into the auction with what most would consider a very skinny penalty double. Facing what would normally be around 16+ HCP, Madala was always going to force to game.

On this layout, 3NT was not a thing of beauty. For the second consecutive key deal, it was a doubleton ♣Q in the West hand that came to declarer’s rescue.

West led the ♦J, East winning with the king and returning a diamond to dummy’s ace. Duboin crossed to the ♥A and ran the ♣J to East’s king. He then won the diamond continuation with the queen and put the ♣2 on the table. Up popped West’s queen, and declarer suddenly had nine tricks via four clubs, the ♠A, and two winners in each of the red suits. N/S +600 and 11 IMPs to VINCI.

Midway through the second set, at the midway point of the match, the score stood at 58-40 in favour of VINCI.

We will be back soon with the best of the action from the second half of this final.