presents   Professor IMP's Weekly  Master Class  #16      To Prof. IMP Index
Prof IMP
-		 'Simple Questions'
Last Wednesday, on OKBridge, Professor IMP had the opportunity to play with one of Italy's great players, Dano de Falco. It's hard to imagine that you don't know the man, but in case you don't, Dano is the reigning European Champion and he is a former member of the legendary Blue Team, together with Belladonna, Garozzo, and Forquet. Moreover, he is a charming person, full of spirit and jokes.

Against strong opponents -Dutch champs Jack Zhao and Jean-Paul Vis- Dano had to make some decisions in the bidding and the play, holding this hand:

4 2 A K 9 6 2  5 3 K J 9 8

Sitting South, with nobody vulnerable, he heard West open the bidding with 1, East responding 1NT. The first question is, did Dano bid or pass?

Being a lively person, Dano naturally bid. But what?

Dano did not even consider a takeout double, but he simply bid 2. West rebid his spades and North raised to game, and that was that:
 

-
W/none K 10 
Q J 3
Q 8 7 6 2
A 10 4
 
-      ---
e 4 2
A K 9 6 2
5 3
K J 9 8
 		 -
WEST----
Zhao
1
2
Pass
 

-

 NORTH --
IMP
Pass 
4		 EAST----
Vis-
1NT
Pass 		 SOUTH
De Falco
2
Pass 
 

 
 

Jack Zhao led the 8 which Dano won with the nine. The next question is, what card did Dano play in trick two?

He played a diamond. With the diamond suit breaking 3-3, and the A onside, he would not need a club guess. West won the K and played another trump. When East followed suit, South overtook dummy's Queen and led another diamond for the ten, Queen and Ace. East returned a spade, West won the Ace and returned yet another heart, won in dummy. A third round of diamonds revealed that East originaly held four cards in the suit. Dano ruffed and still had to guess the Q. How did he play the clubs?

Obviously, West started with something like AQxxxx, 10xx, K10 ?x. Would he have opened with 1, rather than a weak two, with the J and without the Q?

Maybe so. But with that holding, a club lead was much more likely. So, all things considered, Dano decided to play West for the Q, and right he was:
- -

-
W/none K 10
Q J 3
Q 8 7 6 2
A 10 4
A Q J 7 5 3 
10 8 4 
K 10 
Q 3 
9 8 6 
7 5 
A J 9 4 
7 6 5 2
e 4 2
A K 9 6 2
5 3
K J 9 8
 		 -
-
Now, the lesson is that each of the questions Dano asked himself was rather simple. But the difficult thing was to find the right answer to all of them. OKBridge Lehman rating proved that he had, for NS won 5,63 imp on the deal.
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