bridge

bridge

North-South vulnerable. West deals.

NORTH

xVoid

uJ 10 8 5 3

vA Q 10 8 2

w8 6 4

WEST EAST

xA J 8 2 x10 6 5

uA K 9 6 4 2 u7

v3 vK J 9

wQ 9 wA J 10 7 5 3

SOUTH

xK Q 9 7 4 3

uQ

v7 6 5 4

wK 2

The bidding:

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

1u Pass 1NT 2x

Dbl Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Ace of u

More and more foreign internationalists are coming to America for the three annual major championships run by the ACBL. Among them at the recent Fall North American Championships was British internationalist Tony Forrester, partnered by Jack Mahaffey. He sat East on this deal from the Open Board-a-Match Teams.

West led the ace of hearts and continued with a low heart, ruffed by Forrester with the ten and overruffed by declarer. Declarer took a losing diamond finesse, and Forrester returned a low club, declarer’s king winning.

Declarer exited with a diamond, ruffed by West, and a club was returned to Forrester’s ace. He continued with the jack of clubs, ruffed by declarer with the seven and overruffed with the eight.

West exited with a low heart covered by the eight, and Forrester made the fine play of discarding the knave of diamonds rather than overruffing! Although declarer was also able to discard a diamond, he gained nothing from the play. Declarer now ended up down three!

Declarer, who had already lost five tricks, could not get off dummy without promoting another trick for the defense. If he tried a diamond, West would ruff. If declarer tried a heart, East could ruff and West would have to score two trump tricks. If declarer ruffed a heart and played a trump, West could win and force declarer again with a heart, reducing him to only one trump. As they say in the Old Country: “If you drink the water, you die, and if you don’t drink the water, you die!”

2012 Tribune Media Services