presents Professor
IMP's Weekly Master
Class #4
To Prof. IMP Index
- |
'A Cheap Trick' |
"Who is your favourite player?", the student asked Professor IMP.
"One of those questions...", the professor sighed. "How on earth can
I choose a favourite bridge player, when they all make so many silly mistakes.
Well, on second thought, I think I can make an exception. The person in
question lived in the previous century, so I’m pretty sure you don't even
know his name, young man."
"Well, who is it?" The student was getting curious.
"The person I am talking about is a certain Belladonna, Giorgio Belladonna;
a guy from Italy, who won a record number of World Championships and Olympiads.
It was not only his skill. He was a very friendly man with a lot of charisma.
Belladonna's creative mind often led to daring plays at the table. Take
for instance the way he handled this deal which occurred some time in the
mid-eighties at the European Community Championships."
-
| E/NS |
8 6 3
 K 6
 A K 5 3 2
 K 6 4 |
|
| |
 ----
|
|
| e |
A Q J 9 5
J 8 2
9 4
A Q 7 |
|
|
-
|
A worst case scenario in 4
could mean the loss of three heart tricks and one spade trick if East-West
where in the position to play trumps three times.
West indeed found the best lead, a trump. South took East's ten with
the Queen. The declarer, Giorgio Belladonna, rejected 'normal' options
like A onside or diamonds
three-three. Instead, he crossed to dummy with the K
and surprisingly played a low heart from dummy to which East followed low.
South played the Jack and West won with the Queen. A rather cheap trick
for West. However, he could not continue in trumps without giving away
his trump trick. Belladonna had left him a choice of two evils: either
take three heart tricks but no trump trick, or take two tricks in hearts
and one in trumps. The latter would have been the case if East had played
the A at trick two:
-
| E/NS |
8 6 3
K 6
A K 5 3 2
K 6 4 |
|
K 7 2
Q 10 5 3
10 6
9 8 3 2 |
|
10
4
A 9 7 4----
Q J 8 7
K J 10 5 |
| e |
A Q J 9 5
J 8 2
9 4
A Q 7 |
|
|
-
|
-.
The beauty of this play, now known as the Belladonna Coup, is that
it would also work if the position of the A
and the Q were reversed.
To IMP Bridge Index