A Norberto Bocchi’s Bridge Story

Source: Bocchi & Madala Big Bang Bridge

I will tell a story from when I used to play with Giorgino Duboin (we played 19 years together). For some time we have played the Blue Team system, and we decided to go to the natural, though we were used to conventions over conventions. In one of the first tournaments in which we begin to apply this new method, we have the following sequence:

Norberto	Giorgino
1(can be strong)	1 (4+ spades)
2 (can be FG but also other)	2 (relais)
4 (cue bid + spade fit)	4 (please do not move on)
5(Odd Aces + Club First Round control)	5(doubleton or Q)
6 (I would like to play the Grand slam but I need a plus value for clubs)	7 (I am bidding it, but I’m in fear)

I was very sorry for him, because I did not have the club I had bid five times consecutively and I was terrified that at a certain point over the six clubs he would say to me in Turinese: “ ma allora lo fai apposta?” … are you doing it on purpose?”; he was afraid because he was doing well with the system, but he was deeply afraid that I, the anarchist as I often happened to be, completely forgot the system, but I’m sure he also had doubts about the sequence … In the end, my partner’s trust was awarded because the contract was cool, but you have to know that when Giorgino diesnecdote (and I hope its as late as possible), he would have had at least three years more of life –