BRIDGE
Fit to play
Andrew Robson
BRIDGE TEXTBOOKS advise that a combined holding of eight cards is neces- sary to make that suit trumps. Alphonse Moyse of the United States made the seven-card trump fit famous — he loved the delicate technique that required him to thread his way through a four-three fit. No one has recommended a four-two fit; hard- ly surprising — the opponents possess more trumps than you. One of the five or six best partnerships in the world, Larry Cohen and David Berkowitz of New York, broke new ground on the following hand: Dealer South Both Vulnerable The Bidding South West North East 1NT (04-16) Pass 2NT Pass 3+ Pass 44 All pass
Adam Meredith, the brilliant British player of the Fifties and Sixties, used to emphasise that the 5-4-2-2 hand pattern is not a no trump distribution — he would have turned in his grave if he saw the 1NT opening. After it had been raised to 2 NT, Berkowitz, South, decided that his hand was more suited to trump play so intro- duced his strong four card major suit. Cohen must have thought he was facing a five-card spade suit and, suspecting the heart weakness for NT's, supported his partner with a doubleton. West led a trump — unwilling to lead from his broken hon- our combinations in the other suits with so few clues from the auction. Berkowitz won the 4J and immediately advanced *K. West won his ace and can hardly be blamed for failing to give his partner a dia- mond ruff — how could South possibly have five diamonds after his bidding? The defence actually cashed two hearts and played a second trump. Berkowitz could draw all the trumps and cash his established diamonds and clubs.
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