sartaj
13-03-07, 04:15 PM
Ok, so i got you reading this with a catchy title.
Step 1 : Is to try and understand their psyche
Step 2 : Is to try and understand our psyche
Step 3 : Is to use this knowledge to change our losing trend
If you think beating Italy is all about "playing well", then i am sorry to say you are totally missing the point.
Step 1 : Thoughts on the Italians
One gets the sense that they are impatient in the bidding. They just want the damn thing to finish so that the play can begin. For the card play (whether declaring or defending) is where they seem to think the joy is. And it is here that they seem to enjoy playing bridge.
In the bidding, every bid is almost like a worry. I hope, thinks the Italian, that I haven't created a big swing in the bidding , coz most of the time the play is then going to be irrelevant.
This worry of generating a random result impacts their bidding style. It makes them conservative on preempting (avoid going for 800) and aggressive on bidding game (avoid game-swing).
Here in Oz, we like to believe that getting to the par spot quickly is what bidding is all about. This form of bidding has become almost "Australian Standard". Say, you hold,
AQxx
Kx
Axxx
Xxx
LHO opens 1C and partner bids 2C michaels. Pass to us ?
It is my belief that almost all "expert" Australians would bid 4S. This is one the best hands for this action, but we tend to mix it up with the 4S bid on
KJxxx
Xx
Xxx
Xxx
On both hands, we are bidding 4S, we are putting a lot of pressure on the opposition, we are forcing them to take a guess at the high level etc. etc.
This is how we think.
The Italians, however, will be worried on the first hand about missing slam. They will pooh-pooh this "give them a problem" attitude and go out of their way to avoid a loss of 11 imps if the opposing team gets to slam. To this end, their style is to start with a forcing enquiry. And they have adequate methods in their repertoire for this purpose.
I doubt if any Australian partnership has any methods after a "Both Majors" type of michaels (different from (1S) - 2S and (1H) - 2H where we usually do)
These same Italians hardly ever open a 3-level preempt.
Versace, in an internet match, all vulnerable, passed on
Xx
Xx
KQJ10xxxx
Xx
In a world championship final 2005, he passed on
X
Xxxx
Xx
KQJ10xx
In the latter case, he was dealer at Nil Vul. He passed and got to 4H, making. In the other room, Meckstroth opened 3C and missed the heart fit.
A strong argument against preempting with side 4-card majors was made by Benito Garozzo in the Blue team days. Most of the rest of the world has started disregarding it but Italy still listens to Benito !
The Italians' hyper-aggressive game bidding is well known. To understand that, lets try and look at the interplay between the card play and the level of the contract.
Part-score efficiency is often a function of winning it in the bidding and also on the precision of the defence. Declarer will usually play a fairly clear "main variation" as declarer in a part-score and the fate of a delicate contract will hang on whether the defence is adept enough to answer strongly.
Similarly slams are often decided either by the bidding, or by random luck (like a finesse working or two finesses failing) or by the function of opening lead. The "main variation" for declarer play for a skilled player will usually be clear and the distribution of the cards will determine the outcome in most cases. All the defence gets to do is throwing a big punch on the opening lead, after that, its simply a matter of wait and watch and hope that declarer falls over.
However, it is in the game-zone that declarer play makes its biggest impact. From the opening lead to the discarding at trick 10, the momentum often swings between declarer and the defenders. There are often multiple "key moments" in a hand. Declarer may go wrong but a soft defence gives him another chance. To and fro..it swings.
Its in a game contract that a skilled declarer will be able to use his technical skill, his psychological cunning, his adeptness at reading the opponent's cards.
Its in the game contracts that declarer runs his long suit and defense does the wrong thing, its here that players miss the most "obvious" defensive moves, its here that the card play swings occur.
It?s the game zone that the Italians aim for, every hand.
To get to game, the Italians overcall suits aggressively, rarely invite, and overcall 1NT on offshape hands. "Lets get to game and let the card play begin" seems a stronger
mantra than "Lets get the bidding over with and starting playing some cards"
Step 1 : Is to try and understand their psyche
Step 2 : Is to try and understand our psyche
Step 3 : Is to use this knowledge to change our losing trend
If you think beating Italy is all about "playing well", then i am sorry to say you are totally missing the point.
Step 1 : Thoughts on the Italians
One gets the sense that they are impatient in the bidding. They just want the damn thing to finish so that the play can begin. For the card play (whether declaring or defending) is where they seem to think the joy is. And it is here that they seem to enjoy playing bridge.
In the bidding, every bid is almost like a worry. I hope, thinks the Italian, that I haven't created a big swing in the bidding , coz most of the time the play is then going to be irrelevant.
This worry of generating a random result impacts their bidding style. It makes them conservative on preempting (avoid going for 800) and aggressive on bidding game (avoid game-swing).
Here in Oz, we like to believe that getting to the par spot quickly is what bidding is all about. This form of bidding has become almost "Australian Standard". Say, you hold,
AQxx
Kx
Axxx
Xxx
LHO opens 1C and partner bids 2C michaels. Pass to us ?
It is my belief that almost all "expert" Australians would bid 4S. This is one the best hands for this action, but we tend to mix it up with the 4S bid on
KJxxx
Xx
Xxx
Xxx
On both hands, we are bidding 4S, we are putting a lot of pressure on the opposition, we are forcing them to take a guess at the high level etc. etc.
This is how we think.
The Italians, however, will be worried on the first hand about missing slam. They will pooh-pooh this "give them a problem" attitude and go out of their way to avoid a loss of 11 imps if the opposing team gets to slam. To this end, their style is to start with a forcing enquiry. And they have adequate methods in their repertoire for this purpose.
I doubt if any Australian partnership has any methods after a "Both Majors" type of michaels (different from (1S) - 2S and (1H) - 2H where we usually do)
These same Italians hardly ever open a 3-level preempt.
Versace, in an internet match, all vulnerable, passed on
Xx
Xx
KQJ10xxxx
Xx
In a world championship final 2005, he passed on
X
Xxxx
Xx
KQJ10xx
In the latter case, he was dealer at Nil Vul. He passed and got to 4H, making. In the other room, Meckstroth opened 3C and missed the heart fit.
A strong argument against preempting with side 4-card majors was made by Benito Garozzo in the Blue team days. Most of the rest of the world has started disregarding it but Italy still listens to Benito !
The Italians' hyper-aggressive game bidding is well known. To understand that, lets try and look at the interplay between the card play and the level of the contract.
Part-score efficiency is often a function of winning it in the bidding and also on the precision of the defence. Declarer will usually play a fairly clear "main variation" as declarer in a part-score and the fate of a delicate contract will hang on whether the defence is adept enough to answer strongly.
Similarly slams are often decided either by the bidding, or by random luck (like a finesse working or two finesses failing) or by the function of opening lead. The "main variation" for declarer play for a skilled player will usually be clear and the distribution of the cards will determine the outcome in most cases. All the defence gets to do is throwing a big punch on the opening lead, after that, its simply a matter of wait and watch and hope that declarer falls over.
However, it is in the game-zone that declarer play makes its biggest impact. From the opening lead to the discarding at trick 10, the momentum often swings between declarer and the defenders. There are often multiple "key moments" in a hand. Declarer may go wrong but a soft defence gives him another chance. To and fro..it swings.
Its in a game contract that a skilled declarer will be able to use his technical skill, his psychological cunning, his adeptness at reading the opponent's cards.
Its in the game contracts that declarer runs his long suit and defense does the wrong thing, its here that players miss the most "obvious" defensive moves, its here that the card play swings occur.
It?s the game zone that the Italians aim for, every hand.
To get to game, the Italians overcall suits aggressively, rarely invite, and overcall 1NT on offshape hands. "Lets get to game and let the card play begin" seems a stronger
mantra than "Lets get the bidding over with and starting playing some cards"