BRIDGE
BRIDGE
North-South vulnerable, North deals
NORTH
xJ 8 4 2
uQ 7 2
vA 9
wK Q 7 2
WEST EAST
x9 6 xA 7 5 3
u10 6 3 uK 5
vJ 10 6 4 vQ 8 5
wA 10 9 5 wJ 6 4 3
SOUTH
xK Q 10
uA J 9 8 4
vK 7 3 2
w8
The bidding:
NORTHEASTSOUTHWEST
1wPass1uPass
1xPass2vPass
2uPass4uAll pass
Opening lead: Nine of x
Today’s deal is from an international competition in India a few weeks ago. Many declarers found themselves facing the same problem – how to handle the trumps when the defense is threatening a ruff.
East won the opening spade lead with the ace and returned a spade. This was not the correct play. West was surely leading a short suit, but it couldn’t be a singleton as South, could not hold four spades from the bidding. East should have played an encouraging seven at trick one. Some declarers chose to counter the ruffing threat by quickly removing as many enemy trumps as possible. They led the ace and another heart, but East won with his king and gave West a spade ruff. The ace of clubs meant down one. Was this the right play?
Our good friend Abner, the great mathematician, tells us that that this was not the correct play. West, known to have only two spades to East’s four, was therefore more likely to hold the length in any other given suit. The correct play was to cross to dummy and take the heart finesse. Should this win, and trumps split 3-2 as expected, South would only need a little careful handling to bring home his contract. South would still have a good chance even if the heart finesse lost, as East was not a sure bet to hold the ace of clubs. Without that ace, East would have no entry to give West a ruff.
The defense is always going to threaten something. Stay calm and follow the percentages.
Tribune Content Agency