Francesco Angelini‘s squad won the Italy Men Cup for the second time in a row: Francesco Angelini, Leonardo Cima, Valerio Giubilo, Lorenzo Lauria, Federico Primavera, Alfredo Versace and Lino Bove (npc). In the final Angelini grabbed a crushing victory defetating Francesco Saverio Vinci‘s team (with Steve Hamaoui, Fabrizio Hugony, Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes) by a wide margin: 130-23.
In the Women’s section the winner was team Fanfulla Bridge – Dossena: Annarita Azzimonti, Angela Dossena, Enrica Francescangeli, Angela Mainardi, Angelica Mariani, Antonella Soresini, Luisa Venini. They defetaed in final team Pozzi from Resegone (Roberta Benedetti, Federica Brambilla, Laura Consonni, Raffaella Greppi, Giulia Pozzi, Daniela Romani) by a narrow margin: 116-104.
The final stage took place in the usual venue of the “Palazzo dei Congressi” in Salsomaggiore Terme (next to Parma, Italy) from 21 to 24 November, 2013.
The winners of the Men section were awarded with the Trophy Giorgio Belladonna and the winners of the Women section were awarded with the Trophy Anna Valenti.
The hand. The signal unseen by Horatio Nelson
In the core of the battle of Copenhagen (1801), the British fleet’s admiral signalled the force of Nelson to withdraw. Nelson, asked to watch by his follower, put the telescope on his blind eye, then said: “I really do not see the signal”.
Coppa Italia 2013, final Angelini-Vinci. Board 1, love all; dealer North. Contract result: both tables in 6♣-1 (it missed the spade control).
Open room: Vinci-Hugony; closed room: Cima Giubilo. Vinci-Hugony played Strong Club with control responses.
The problem of this deal, in my opinion, is the late knowledge of the trump. In open room, however, the Admiral Vinci’s 5♣ wasn’t a signal to withdraw as clear as it might look. Maybe it was better 4♥, which invited by a sure cue bid in hearts, but didn’t grant the control in the real suits. I have given my partner the opener’s hand, and the auction, playing our system, i.e. Neapolitan Club, has been the same until 4♣, then he bid 4♥ instead of 5♣.
In closed room it was Giubilo the Admiral, and here the signal was quite clear (Nelson himself would have seen it even by the blind eye), but there was another problem: because the modern conception – or better, the misconception – called “economy principle”, the auction had climbed to level five and still the poor opener didn’t find the way to show his seventeen points, and it is comprehensible if, before to withdraw, he wanted to make hear the thunder of his guns.
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Paolo Enrico Garrisi