Carthage

Carthage Any well-mannered kibitzer knows enough to button his lips as he leers over a bridge player's shoulder -- especially if the world championship is at stake. So the crowd that crammed a room of Manhattan's Biltmore Hotel last week to watch Italy's best take on a team of six of the best U.S. players was a little surprised when it was urged to break all the un written rules. "Hiss when you want to," said the master of ceremonies. "Cheer or boo or shout. The players can't hear you." The players were comfortably quaran tined behind soundproof glass walls so they would not be disturbed by crowd noise, the monologue of a commentator who mapped the play on a long board, and the scurrying of the technicians who were there to immortalize the contest as the first televised bridge tournament.

The kibitzers hardly availed themselves of the opportunities to sound off, for it was a glum spectacle to U.S. fans. Matched against such great U.S. experts as Charles Goren, William Seamon, Mrs.Helen Sobel, the Italians played as if they were invading Carthage. Their team (a Roman magistrate and a utilities' executive, a Naples former professor of literature, a publicist, a banker and an engineer) staged an astonishing show of informative bidding. Their inspired leads were clairvoyant. Some of the tricks in their book even had Bridge Writer Goren wagging his head. A typical hand on which bad luck and poor judgment cost the U.S. a net 1,530 points:

l A K 6 3 b 7 6 4 D Q 10 8 2 W* A 3 l 9 8 5 l J 10 7 4 2 b 3 bA Q 10 9 8 D 7 4 D J W* K Q 10 W* J 8 7 5 4 2 l Q b K J 5 2 D A K 9 6 5 3 W* 9 6 East dealer. North-South vulnerable.

Playing the North-South positions, the U.S. team bid to the correct contract, six diamonds, but in a manner that left South to play the hand. Italy's Piero Forquet, West, opened with the three of hearts, and his partner, Guglielmo Siniscalco, took the trick with the ace, returned a heart lead, the only play that could stop the small slam. West trumped, and the U.S. was down one. When Italy took over the bids went: East South West North Pass 1b 4W* 4D Pass 5D Pass 6D Thus the Italians arranged to play from North, the more advantageous position. East led the ace of hearts, but failed to read West's three as a singleton, and shifted to the jack of clubs. North took the trick and went on to run out the slam. The last of 224 hands played out in a week saw the U.S. gain a few paltry points. But it was far too late. The Italians, who had beaten the best in 16 European countries in order to meet the U.S. in the finals, were the world champions by a devastating score: 10,150 points.

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