bridge

bridge

East-West vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

x8 3

u4

vK Q 9 7 4 2

wK Q 7 2

WEST EAST

xK 10 7 6 xA J 2

uK 10 7 uQ 9 6 5 2

v10 vJ 6 5 3

wJ 9 8 6 3 w5

SOUTH

xQ 9 5 4

uA J 8 3

vA 8

wA 10 4

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1NT Pass 3v Pass

3NT Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Six of w

In a pairs tournament, superb defense by East-West defeated three no trump. Was declarer at fault? Should the result be the same at rubber bridge?

By agreement, North’s jump to three diamonds was natural and game-forcing, and hinted at slam. For obvious reason, South was not interested and signed off at the most likely game contract.

Not surprisingly, West’s natural lead of a club hit East’s singleton. Declarer won with the ten, cashed the ace of diamonds and continued with the eight. West discarded a middling club, declarer immediately conceded a trick that had to be lost by playing low from the table.

In with the jack of diamonds, East had to shift to a major suit and concluded that partner would have to hold more in hearts than could reasonably be expected for a switch to that suit to pay off. The spade suit was more promising so, at the risk of giving away a trick, East went for broke by returning the jack of spades! Declarer covered with the queen, West won and returned a spade to the ace, and the continuation found declarer’s 9 5 surrounded by West’s 10 7. Down one.

At match points, declarer did nothing wrong. There were 11 tricks if diamonds were 3-2 and giving up such good odds for overtricks is a losing formula at duplicate.

Rubber bridge is a game of another color. Overtricks pale in importance compared to making the contract, so declarer should strive to guard against East holding four diamonds to a secondary honor. Correct is to win the first trick in dummy and lead a low diamond, inserting the eight when East follows low. West wins with the ten, but there is no way the defenders can collect four spade tricks with West on lead — try it for yourself. At best the defenders can take three spade tricks and the contract rolls home.

2012 Tribune Media Services