BRIDGE

BRIDGE

North-South vulnerable, South deals.

NORTH

x9 6

uA J 8 2

vA 10 9 3

wK J 2

WEST EAST

xK 4 xQ J 8 7 5 3 2

uK 10 9 7 uQ 6 5 4

vQ J 8 7 4 v6

w9 7 w8

SOUTH

xA 10

u3

vK 5 2

wA Q 10 6 5 4 3

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1w Pass 1v 3x

4wPass 4u Pass

4x Pass 6w All pass

Opening lead: King of x

Pre-emptive bids are a two-edged sword. They can disrupt your opponent’s communication by taking vital bidding room away from them. They can also provide a road map for the play. It can be said that a pre-empt is most effective before either opponent has bid, less effective after one opponent has bid, and least effective after both opponents have bid.

The three-spade pre-empt here didn’t stop the opponents from reaching slam. In fact, it helped them. South might have contented himself with a two-club rebid without the pre-empt. He would never have rebid four clubs. The only way this pre-empt could be considered effective is if it pushed the opponents to a slam that failed.

South won the king of spades lead with the ace and immediately led a heart to the ace and ruffed a heart. A club to the jack was followed by another heart ruff. A club to the king, drawing the last trump, and dummy’s last heart was ruffed. East was known to have started with one club and four hearts, plus seven or eight spades. He couldn’t possibly have more than two diamonds. Declarer, following this road map, cashed the ace and king of diamonds and exited with his last spade. East was forced to win and yield a ruff-sluff and South had his 12 tricks. Bad pre-empt! Bad, bad pre-empt!

2016 Tribune Content Agency