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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

A reward for risk.

This deal from the first round of the Gold Coast Teams proved too hard for many declarers. What are your thoughts about coming to 10 tricks? Overtricks can wait for another deal!

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North Deals
N-S Vul

A K 8 5

Q J 5

A J 3

10 7 4

   

N

W

 

E

S

   
 

Q J 7 3

K

Q 10 9 4

A 6 5 3

 

West

North

East

South

 

1 NT

Pass

2 ♣

Pass

2 ♠

Pass

4 ♠

All pass

 

 

 

You open a 15-17 1NT and are soon in 4Spade-small via a Stayman auction. East leads Club-smallK. What’s your line?

You have to lose a heart and probably two clubs which means that if the diamond finesse works, then all will be well. That sounds like a 50% game.

A 3-2 trump break would be handy. So, several declarers won the Club-smallA and drew trumps in 3 rounds with East discarding a heart, denying interest in that suit. They took the diamond finesse and were soon one down. Indeed, if they decided to play Heart-smallK instead, they would be one down a little more slowly. The damage had already been done, at trick 1.

Could the contract be made when that diamond finesse fails? The answer is “yes” by taking a little risk:

North Deals
N-S Vul

A K 8 5

Q J 5

A J 3

10 7 4

9 4 2

A 10 8 6 3 2

7 6

9 8

 

N

W

 

E

S

 

10 6

9 7 4

K 8 5 2

K Q J 2

 

Q J 7 3

K

Q 10 9 4

A 6 5 3

 

West

North

East

South

 

1 NT

Pass

2 ♣

Pass

2 ♠

Pass

4 ♠

All pass

 

 

 

The “risk” would be that you might suffer a club ruff if you ducked that Club-smallK at trick 1 though the gain would come if the club break was the more normal 4-2 than 5-1. When one has two losers in a suit where one holds the ace, it can often be a good idea to duck the opening lead to try to stop the defenders communicating in that suit.

That would certainly have worked here. It would not have mattered had East held the Heart-smallA or had the clubs broken 3-3 but that was not the case here. The risk would certainly have been worth taking. When in with Heart-smallA, West has no clubs to play and will have to switch to a diamond. North should take their ace, even if the finesse was due to work and would then discard dummy’s 2 remaining clubs on Heart-smallKQ, losing just one club, Heart-smallA and Diamond-smallK. North’s remaining club can be ruffed in the South hand.

Had the declarer won Club-smallA at trick 1, drew trumps and then played Heart-smallK, West can win and the defence then takes two club tricks. East exits a heart (West cannot hold Diamond-smallA as well as Heart-smallA) and eventually North has to take the losing diamond finesse. Down 1.

Certainly, one would have egg on one’s face if the second round of clubs got ruffed and the diamond finesse had failed. Yet, the odds do not favour those two things happening on the same board.

Richard Solomon

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