K98
	AKJ53
	QJT
	83
	AQJT73
	76
	K54
	AQ

Avete buttato il Re di quadri sotto l'Asso?

La smazzata non è troppo difficile e sono quasi certo che l'abbiate fatto.

Poi, come proseguite?

Potete verificate per conto vostro se ve la siete davvero cavata osservando il diagramma completo: 

			K98
			AKJ53
			QJT
			83
	52				64
	82				QT94
	9873				A62
	K7542				FT96
			AQJT73
			76
			K54
			AQ

Correva il 1953 e seduto in Sud si trovava il Presidente Eisenhower che, come è noto, era un discreto  bridgista.

La rivista Time immortalò la giocata presidenziale.

Dwight, scartò il Re di quadri sull'Asso di quadri per crearsi dei rientri aggiuntivi al morto (mossa spettacolare quanto inutile nella realtà della smazzata ma che si sarebbe rivelata fondamentale se gli atout fossero stati divisi 3-1), poi prese il ritorno di Fante di fiori di Est con l'Asso e proseguì con due giri di atout.

Poi, Asso, Re di cuori e cuori tagliata in mano, picche per il Re e ancora cuori tagliata in mano, infine, quadri per la Dama del morto e Fante di cuori su cui scartò la Dama di fiori.

Questa smazzata storica ha il suo par di +980 per NS e con i suoi 18 atout permette di realizzare 18 prese (12 a picche per NS e 6 a fiori per EO).

This was the first bridge hand ever published in Time magazine. It appeared in a 1953 article the magazine was doing on a well-known Washington expert. The expert who made the headlines? None other than Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States.

Eisenhower held regular Saturday night games at his Washington home and his favorite partner was General Alfred Gruenther who was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe in the early 1950’s.

When this hand was played, Eisenhower was sitting South with the great Oswald Jacoby as his partner. Asked about the caliber of Ike’s game, Jacoby told the Time reporters, “He plays better bridge than golf.

			K98
			AKJ53
			QFT
			83
	52				64
	82				QT94
	9873				A62
	K7542				FT96
			AQJT73
			76
			K54
			AQ

He tries to break 90 at golf; at bridge you could say he plays in the 70’s.” Eisenhower demonstrated his flair for the game by bringing home the 6♠slam. West led a diamond to East’s ♦A and Eisenhower, aware of the need to keep entries to dummy, was careful to drop the ♦K under the ace. East found the best defense by switching to the ♣J. Next, as reported in Time: “Eisenhower had considered the choices ahead of him: he could 1) finesse the ♣Q (in which case he would have been down one); or 2) take the ♣J with his ace, then play out dummy’s hearts, hoping for a division of the opponents’ hearts that would give him at least three heart winners.

Odds were even on alternative No. 1, and were better than five to one on alternative No. 2. Ike took (the ♣J) with his club ace.

“Having made the crucial decision, Eisenhower had no further trouble. He drew trumps, fortunately in two rounds, cashed dummy’s top hearts, and ruffed a heart in his own hand. He got back to dummy with a diamond to ruff another heart, thus setting up dummy’s last card in that suit. It was then easy to get back to dummy with another diamond in order to cash the last heart and discard the ♣Q on it.

“Score: six spades, bid and made.” was Time’s final statement.