JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE?

 

The following hand occurred in the year 1929 during a game of bridge between Mr. & Mrs. Bennett of Kansas City and another married couple. The hand is judged as being in the top five most famous deals in Bridge. The bidding and play show some features of what we like to think of as modern tournament play. Yet this was supposed to be a quiet game of social bridge.

                                                     N

                                                ♠  AT63

♥  T85

♦  4

♣  A9842

    W               Mrs Bennett             E

♠  Q72                                      ♠  4

♥  AJ3                                       ♥  Q94

♦  AQT92                                  ♦  KJ763

♣  J6                                          ♣  Q753

                                                      S

                                                ♠  KJ985

♥  K764

♦  85

♣  KT

                                             Mr Bennett (dealer)

 

Mr Bennett was described as a rugged individualist who opened the south hand 1S when most at the time would pass. Mrs Bennett’s raise to 4S was also criticised by the experts of the time. They suggested 2S was sufficient.

 

West on lead cashed the ace of diamonds then switched to the jack of clubs which taken by the king. South led out the jack of spades and when west failed to cover Mr Bennett put up the ace of spades. The newspapers of the day said if Mr Bennett had taken the finesse he would be alive today. As it was he went down losing two heart tricks as well as ace of diamonds and queen of spades. After an argument Mrs Bennett went to her room, took out a pistol and shot her husband dead. He became the first (but not last) bridge murder victim.

 

After some deliberation the jury produced their verdict _ Accidental death. Well Mrs Bennett shot Mr Bennett accidentally twice! She even collected the life insurance on her husband. Perhaps they thought Mrs Bennett had been provoked sufficiently to justify a momentary loss of control.

 

1        Do you open 1S with the south hand?

2        The jury must have approved Mrs Bennett’s raise to 4S. Do you?

3        If you do and find yourself playing in 4S do you follow Mr Bennett’s line?

 

 

COMMENTS

 

1                             Light openings are made under rule of 20 and 19 these days (not known in 1929). This hand appears to fit the rule of 19 and has 7 losers so today a light opening will be made by many. But the hand has no ace normally a one point deduction and the heart suit looks frail. Change the K of clubs for QJ of hearts and it is definitely an opening hand in my book with its points concentrated in the two long suits. If you use the basic principles of Zar Petkov’s methods for evaluating light openings this hand just fails but if you read the small print you can add 1 for holding the President’s suit viz. spades and open. I can think of many circumstances in which I would open with the south hand.

 

2                             Mrs Bennett has a raise to three on loser count but a raise to four on Zars. The Petkov method gives special emphasis to shape and the power of aces and this eight count has both. So I (and my Mrs Bennett) make this bid if south opens 1S. When Mrs Bennett puts down her hand I would be pleased. The contract should make most of the time so I would want to be in game despite the low point count.

 

1                             Mr Bennett may have recognized the danger to the heart suit and the lead of the Jack may have been ‘a cunning plan’ to tempt west into covering with the queen rather than a genuine attempt to finesse. With the ten visible nobody should fall into the trap they should duck smoothly. Running the jack is not a sound play because the heart suit is dangerously exposed to a lead from east. Therefore the correct play is toward the ace and then small back toward the KJ (or K9 as Mr Bennett played). When east shows out on the second round of spades the winning spade is not extracted as that eliminates your options for a ruff and discard. Note Mr Bennett pre-invents Zia’s dictum ‘if they do not cover they do not have it’. Except of course they do!

 

2                             West overcalled two diamonds in practice and if north bids either two or three spades east may compete to four diamonds if they follow the law of total tricks. The LOTT was not known in 1929 but enthusiasts will note that 4D and 3S make. Hence it is correct to bid to 4S in a competitive auction as long as N/S can judge E/W have 10 diamonds.

 

3                             This hand is just as interesting if south passes and west opens 1NT. This Mr Bennett playing with his Mrs Bennett will play in spades but how high and by which hand? But that is another story.

 

4                             Rugged individualist? What ever happened to tall dark and handsome?

 

        Hand details taken from ‘The Bridge Player’s Bedside Companion’.