Sant'Ambrogio mean Milan and also the Milanese bridge since the 70s it has scheduled its biggest event, one of the most prestigious tournaments in Europe, on the dates dedicated to the memory of the great bishop. The Campari, as it was called for several decades City of Milan, together with the Cino del Duca, a world event pairs tournament played at the Sforza Castle, made Milan a world capital of our game.
Today, when the size of the bridge phenomenon is reduced to an icon, it is necessary to spend the same amount of energy to keep the big events alive.Hotel Quark It must be said that it perfectly hosted this 2024 edition characterized by a highly appreciated organizational upgrading. They were played the same hands on all the tables making it possible to immediately compare the results and check the diagrams of the hands. The competition was held in a spacious and comfortable environment and in an absolutely relaxed atmosphere. Fifty-four teams coming from nine different countries fought for three days remembering the pair of Milanese champions who gave more lustre and European and world titles to our country, Arthur Franco e Dano DeFalco, both recently deceased.
But fifty-four teams, even if selected and qualified, are certainly few. If I remember correctly, however, a number of the same order of magnitude was that of the teams that took part in the first edition, that of '73. Our game needs a “restart from three” and it should be remembered that the efforts made in the first Camparis played in prestigious venues and with a limited number of teams – I remember when we were at the Hotel Michelangelo – bore late but rich and plentiful fruits until reaching one hundred and eighty teams registered towards the end of the 1980s.
Of course, other times, with 100 lire petrol, rich prizes, a young environment and prestigious locations. But above all the bridge was different, a growing game not yet overstructured by complicated conventions and regulations, which left room for the inclusion of new enthusiasts. The systems of the time, although changeable and imaginative, fit into a few typewritten sheets.
I met and appreciated this year the presence of several young boys, lot of even foreigners, all polite and competent. And the winner was a Lombardy-Venetian formation of forty year olds, the Fancy Team, who grew up playing bridge in the junior teams of about twenty years ago. They are Marco Bavaresco, pharmacist in Padua, Francis Ferrari, accountant at Digital Marketing in Milan, Alberto Gerli engineer and entrepreneur from Padua and Simon Homer urologist doctor from Caserta. They have scored 211,37 points out of 320 available for an average of 66%. A young team, as bridge is understood today, but above all a team of enthusiasts and not just professionals of the game, whose success I think can do a lot of good for our movement.
But let's get to the news. We are at the 39th episode of the column "Play with champions” for all Bridge enthusiasts, the result of the collaboration between FIRST online , Italian Bridge Game Federation. Every Saturday will be the occasion to test yourself with the highest level Bridge with the publication of a particularly interesting hand, which will be played at an international level or highly spectacular. Competitive bridge is fun for everyone. You can see the previous hands by clicking on the banner on the front page, or here.
The tournament consisted of four sessions. The first three led to the composition of the final groups, each of which would separately determine a part of the final ranking with the matches of the last day. The situation of group A at the end of the third session was as follows:
Goraco, the very strong Polish team even if lacking some prominent elements, as outgoing champion led the group composed of Fancy Team, the Lombards of Recalcati - strong with Montrasio, Baruchello, Chizzoli, Cordaro, Cervi and Carletti, - the Vinci team that fielded Nunes-Lauria with Vinci, Hamaoui and Hugony, the French of Blueberry and the Bellagatta team strong with Rossano-Vecchi supported by Mele-Vivaldi. Only these first six teams would have played in the final A together with the first two classified in group B where the favorites De Michelis and Breno had had the upper hand for the two places up for grabs respectively with De Michelis-Failla and D'Avossa-Mallardi and with Attanasio-Zaleski and Franchi-Lanzarotti
Hand number 39, the final pool
On Saturday morning Sant'Ambrogio the games start with a swing hand. These are the cards:
After North's pass, East's strong 2♣ opening came at most tables. There were some adventurous two-suited major overcalls, especially on the strong 1♣ opening. Even then, however, West had the opportunity to bid his suit and on North East's eventual 4♠ he had a good game in concluding with a slam or in investigating further with 5NT for the trumps. This small diamond slam, however, was actually called by only three pairs out of eight in Group A, namely D'Avossa-Mallardi, Rossano-Vecchi and Hugony-Vinci. These are the final results of the first round:
For the second round Goraco must face Breno while the pursuer Fancy Team meets the French of Blueberry. This is a hand that produced several swings in the second round:
In this hand the epic aphorism about fortune favoring the bold comes true. Ferrari Bavaresco plays and holds this adventurous 3NT while the French in the other room end up seriously penalized in an unlikely 4 ♠ played in 4-2. The Poles of Goraco also declare the game with no trumps while Franchi and Lanzarotti to cap it all fall by one trick in the “conservative” contract of 4 ♦. These are the results and the ranking before the last match
The mature boys of the Fancy Team they are now going into the last match with a good advantage over the Poles which would allow them to win the tournament even if they lost the match 12 to 8. This is the hand, number 4 all in the zone, which made the difference in all the matches of the last round, effectively determining the final results
After West's pass and North's probable heart opening, East must choose whether to make a barrage or not. Most have opted for a barrage overcall at 3♠, others for a more cautious weak jump at 2♠. The bid should however not have a history until 4♠ when the first problem that presents itself to North is whether to strengthen with a double or to rise in the bid, for example with a descriptive 5♣. Much depends on the meaning that is attributed to the double in this situation. If the double is purely strengthening, the bid could also end with 4♠ doubled. Otherwise, if the double is openly a takeout, the partner will be forced to obey. Subsequently the problem returns to the EO side which, despite not having a clear assessment of having eleven tricks to slam on the table, unless the double fit in clubs has been clarified by the opponents, can choose to insure against the possible game held by NS. It remains that "five is the opponents' level", as one of the fathers of modern bridge used to say, since especially five in the major is the uncomfortable level, which can easily be too much or too little, unless you make exactly the eleven tricks declared. These are the board results in the first three tables
As a direct consequence, here is the final ranking:
Vince l2024 edition of the City of Milan the Fancy TeamSecond is Recalcati and third is Goraco while group B goes to the Romanians of Cernato.
I want to end with a fun hand of counterplay that I have personally experienced. Bridge is considered to be a complex game to study almost as if it were a scientific subject. However, the fact that the cards are hidden leaves considerable room for psychological and imaginative plays. Gabriele Zanasi in East in this hand managed to mislead his opponent until he fell into the super-armored 3NT contract played with the 3♥ lead.
The solution to the deal on Saturday, February 1st
To organize a compression ending on East who discarded after dummy it was necessary to resort to a ruff compression. East had discarded the two small diamonds and had thus marked himself with the sixth. In the ending it was necessary to remain in dummy where three entries were needed to free the J♠. With the A♠ unlocked South collected three rounds of clubs on the last of which with five cards to go East found himself defenseless. If he had discarded a spade Wholin would have continued with ruff spades, diamonds to the A♦ of dummy and again ruff spades freeing the J♠ which would have remained in dummy with the last entry trump. If instead East had discarded diamonds South would have first collected the A♦ followed by a ruff spade and then ruff diamonds freeing the hand.
