[patroclo]

---

West start with ace of d.
And continue with j of club that you S win in hand.
And then...
Attention you are playing with your life and .... with your wife

[Lovera]

L'epoca delle grandi sfide di Culbertson può' essere definita il periodo eroico del bridge. Le cronache dell'epoca parlano di risse, divorzi, ferimenti, in seguito a polemiche sul gioco, e perfino di delitti. Il più' celebre omicidio per causa di bridge avvenne a Kansas City nel 1929: una donna, la signora Bennett, uccise il marito perché' era andato sotto in un contratto di 4 picche. Ma l'aspetto più sconcertante della vicenda fu un altro: la maggior parte dei commenti vertevano su un punto:"Bennett avrebbe potuto mantenere il suo contratto?". Lo stesso Culbertson intervenne nella polemica con un articolo dal titolo inequivocabile: "Come Bennett avrebbe potuto salvarsi la vita ".La mazzata incriminata ci è stata tramandata [e' quella indicata ]. In realtà il contratto e' un po' tirato, e si può mantenere, dopo l'attacco di Fante di fiori (anche questo registrato dalle cronache) indovinando la posizione della Donna di atout .Non è certo una smazzata particolarmente interessante, ma per i tragici motivi descritti si è meritata un posto nella storia del bridge. (Da"Il bridge naturale . corso autodidattico " di Mario Cucci pag. vii e viii della presentazione ).(Lovera)

[PhilG007]

Soon after the murder was publicised,Ely Culbertson gave this analysis of the hand.:-
"We have heard of lives depending on the play of a card. It is not often that we find that figure of speech
literally true. Here is a case in point. Mr Bennett had overbid his hand. Of that,there can be no doubt.But even so,
so kind were the gods of distribution that he might have saved his life had he played his cards a little better.
The opening was A♦then West switched to J♣ when he saw the void in dummy. Declarer won this with the king
then started to draw trumps. Here,again,he flirted with death,as people so frequently do when they have no plan either at the bridge
table or in life. He could still make the contract and thus save his life.The correct play would have been to establish the ♣
suit before drawing trumps after ruffing the last ♦. Suppose Mr Bennett,after winning the ♣K,had ruffed his final♦
low in dummy,he could then lead a trump and go up with the king. Now he would lead the10♣ and if West followed suit,declarer's problems
would be over. He would win the A♣then lead the 8 or 9♣from the table. If East covered with the queen,declarer should ruff and allow West to
overruff if he wished to. If he did so he would be endplayed. If he led a ♥,the contract and a life would be saved.The same would be true
if West returned a♦Only a trump return by West would have broken the contract but at least Mr Bennett would have had the
satisfaction in the knowledge that he had played the cards dealt to him by Fate to the very best of his ability."