Slammed in Salt Lake

With three deals to go in their semi-final match with Italy, the gallant Canadian team, which had trailed by more than 40 IMPs to the world champion Italian squad, found themselves behind by a single IMP. The tide turned on the 10th board of the set, propelling Canada into the final of the 4th IOC Grand Prix against Poland.

Fred Gitelman and Joe Silver were the heroes on two decisive deals late in the match. Ironically, it wasn't until the match was over that Gitelman realized he wasn't actually the goat.

Dealer East E/W vul
	ª 8 5 © J 10 7 3 ¨ J 10 9 8 6 § A 6
ª J 3 2 © A Q 8 5 4 ¨ A 4 2 § J 10		ª A K 10 9 7 6 4 © K 9 2 ¨ K 3 § 3
	ª Q © 6 ¨ Q 7 5 § K Q 9 8 7 5 4 2

West	North	East	South
Gitelman	Duboin	Silver	Ferraro
		1ª	4§
4ª	5§	5ª	Pass
6ª	All Pass

In the closed room, Lorenzo Lauria and Alfredo Versace stopped in game, so Canada had a chance for a major swing, and Giltelman was up to the task. In the highly competitive auction, Gitelman had confidence in his partner. "I knew he wouldn't bid 5ª unless he thought he could make it," Gitelman said. "If he thought he could make 5ª, I thought he could make six."

Gitelman was correct, and plus 1430 put the Canadians ahead by 12 with two deals to go. As it happened, the set of deals was a wild one, and the action was not over.

On the next deal, Lauria and Versace bid to a club slam, so the match was in the balance. Would Gitelman and Silver be up to the challenge?

Dealer South Both vul
	ª 2 © Q 9 7 6 5 4 ¨ 10 7 5 § 9 7 4
ª A K © A K 10 8 ¨ Q J 3 § A 8 6 5		ª Q 10 9 7 © 2 ¨ K 6 4 § K Q J 3 2
	ª J 8 6 5 4 3 © J 3 ¨ A 9 8 2 § 10

West	North	East	South
Gitelman	Duboin	Silver	Ferraro
			Pass
2NT	Pass	3§	Pass
3©	Pass	4§	Pass
4¨	Pass	6§	All Pass

Gitelman's 3¨ bid may look strange, but there was method to his, you might say, imaginative call. Gitelman can explain: "I knew that if I cuebid 4©, my partner would not be able to cuebid spades, so I psyched the diamond cuebid."

Ferraro led the ¨A and Fred put down the dummy, noting that his partner did not thank him for the 13 cards lying on the table in front of him. Very quickly, Silver was claiming, and Gitelman feared the worst - that Silver was claiming for down one.

"I thought we might have won it on the previous board," Gitelman said, "but then I thought we had lost it on that board."

In fact, it wasn't until the match was over and the team was making comparisons that Gitelman became aware that Silver had actually claimed 12 tricks, not 11.

The final board was flat - Italy gained 1 IMP - and Canada had pulled a huge upset, knocking off the defending Olympiad champions, who had been having their way with the field in Salt Lake City.