II WMSG, Lille 2012: Rules were made to be broken?

August 10 2012. Round 3: Argentina 23 – Italy 63.

 The 6/15/1964 Oswald Jacoby called his Bridge column in the San Petersburg’s: The Evening Independent: Rules were made to be broken. The article begun with these words: One of the most difficult problems a bridge player faces is that of knowing when to break a rule.

 Board 3: Dealer South, E/W vulnerable.    

In both tables the contract was 4 by East. Camberos chose the A lead…and declarer only lost 3 tricks:A, A and A.

 In the other room for Argentina in W/E were: Palazzo-Fornasari, and in N/S Bocchi-Madala. As everybody knows Agustin Madala (25) was born in Bs As, Argentina but due that all his family was from Italy he is playing in the Open Italy team since some years ago. Agustin is a very close friend of the argentine pair Palazzo-Fornasari and just when the match begun the VG operator wrote that Agustin said: questo è un incontro che non posso perdere (this is a match I cannot lose).

The open Room was the one the Italian commentators chose to comment in Italian language, and before the bidding finished these were theirs comments:

1)    4 si fanno, vabbè…4 cold…oh well..

2)    si, 3 polli per noi e stop…yes, 3 tricks for us and stop

3)    Tea time 🙂

 The bidding ended in 4 and Agustin was the leader.

Rule: Against a suit contract never lead away from an ace on the opening lead.

Lead: 3

Declarer played a little heart and one second later he was 1down…The Italians wrote: 

1)    vero che non si attacca sotto asso, ma quali chances aveva? Is true: Never from an A… but what chance did he have?

2)    ecco, questo non l’avevo previsto… here, that I did not foresee

3)    ma che bella pensata!!! questa è la differenza tra noi e loro… what a beautiful thought! This is the difference between us and them.

Noi and loro? Us and Them? Agustin was born in Argentina and Bocchi’s mother is from Argentina, and he lived in Argentine…perhaps better to rewrite: This is the difference between us and US…

PD: All the tables (Open, Women and Seniors) that played 4 in board 3…scored +130.

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