Tuesday, January 24, 2012
bridge
Both vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
xA K Q J
uJ 8 6 5
v6 4
wQ 6 5
WEST EAST
x8 5 x9 7 6
u9 7 2 u4 3
vK J 8 7 v10 9 5 3 2
wA 10 3 2 wK 9 7
SOUTH
x10 4 3 2
uA K Q 10
vA Q
wJ 8 4
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1NT Pass 2w Pass
2u Pass 4u Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: Eight of x
“Every time I take a finesse, I get burned,” remarked Dr. Watson.
“Elementary, my dear Watson. The solution is not to take them then!”
The Great Detective and his cohort were relaxing in the club smoking room after a few hours of rubber bridge and Watson was bemoaning his fate on this deal. A normal auction saw Watson become declarer at four hearts, and a spade was led. Watson won the opening lead, drew trumps and then cashed out the spades ending in dummy. West discarded a card from each minor and East parted with two diamonds.
A diamond finesse lost to the king and West exited with a diamond. Declarer now had to break clubs and no matter how he tackled the suit, he had to lose three tricks — down one.
The diamond finesse was a distraction. Change the queen of diamonds to a low card and it would be easy to see the winning line. After drawing trumps, declarer should simply play the ace and queen of diamonds. Whichever defender won would either have to yield a ruff-sluff, allowing declarer to discard a club from one hand while ruffing in the other, or else break clubs for declarer, which would limit his losses in the suit to two tricks.
2012 Tribune Media Services