Eye in the Sky

Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky

 

This deal was shared with me by an executive member of TBW magazine. If you don’t already have a subscription, go to http://www.bridgeworld.com

and subscribe. Your (bridge) world will never be the same.

 

Sidney Lazard held this hand as South , vulnerable vs. not in 1954, yes back before some of us were born.

 

     A3   8   AK92   AK9832

                  

             N           E         S          W 

 

               –         1C        P        1S

               P          P!        2N      3H

               P          4H       ?  

 

     

Once East failed to reply to his partner’s forcing response, the gig was up and it was clear to everyone the he had psyched.

When West continued brazenly with 3H, followed by East’s raise to 4H South could logically infer as follows:

: West has at least 10 major suit cards.

: East has a poor hand with 4/5 clubs and 4 hearts.

: North therefore is marked with modest values and at least 5 diamonds.

Accordingly Lazard leapt to 6 diamonds! Think about that for a second, it is a remarkable call.

As one in the know called it “This was surely one of the top inferential bids in the history of the game;” Indeed it was. The play was swift and merciless.

This was the hand:

 

aler: S Vul:NS	North ♠ Q10 ♥ J54 ♦ QJ8763 ♣ J4
West ♠ KJ7643 ♥ AHQXX ♦ 105 ♣ –		East ♠ 985 ♥ 10632 ♦ 4 ♣ Q10765
	South ♠ A3 ♥ 8 ♦ AK92 ♣ AK9832

 

1)     HK;

2)      HA ruffed.

3)      DK

4)      DQ

5)      CJ-Q-K.

6)     Run trumps reducing to 5 cards, with the lead in the dummy.

 

                                Q10

                                 J

                                 8

                                 4

 

              KJ                                     9

              Q97                                    –

               –                                        –

               –                                      10765

 

                                  A3

                                  –

                                  –

                                  K98

 

 

For the last 5 cards, East must keep 4 clubs (else ruff out) so can’t keep 2 spades. Then (marked) club finesse, king clubs, club ruff to squeeze West between the majors.  

Eye in the sky indeed.

Please bear in mind that the inferences available on the above hand are hardly analogous to the Piltch hand.

This story is as sweet as mangoes, the new Orleans story is more like cod liver oil, of foul odour and a bitter aftertaste. More on that later.

 

 

C