BRIDGE BITES #71
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DECLARE OR
DEFEND?
Brian Gunnell |
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♠ AKQJ
♥
A7432
♦
♣ K963 |
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Both Vulnerable
South West North
East
1♥
Pass
1♠
Dbl 4♠ Pass
Pass Pass
South wasn’t
good enough for
2♦,
so she responded 1♠ and
soon found
herself declaring 4♠.
You can see
all four hands, it’s
time to
place your bets. Do
you want to declare or defend? |
♠ 65
♥
KJT5
♦
KJ9
♣ AJT2 |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠ 432
♥
Q9
♦
T876
♣ 8754 |
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♠ T987
♥
86
♦
AQ5432
♣ Q |
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►
Declarer can count a trick in
each side-suit, so one route to success would be to cross-ruff the hand, scoring
those trumps separately. So 4♠
makes?
►
Not so fast! West cleverly finds
the opening lead of a trump, and the defense will be sure to lead another trump
next time they get in. The second trump lead holds Declarer to only six trump
tricks (♠A, ♠K, plus two ruffs in each hand) to go with the three side-suit
tricks. So 4♠
is down one?
►
Not necessarily, it may be
possible to set up a long Heart for the 10th trick, and the best way
to do that is to lose a Heart at Trick Two. The defense returns another trump,
and now Dummy’s ♥A
is cashed, then a Heart ruffed. Declarer’s ♣Q is taken by West, who cannot lead
another trump. He does best to exit with a Club, but Declarer wins that in
Dummy, ruffs another Heart, cashes the
♦A,
ruffs a Diamond, draws East’s last trump, and scores Dummy’s long Heart. So 4♠
makes?
►
West could have made Declarer’s
life more difficult by letting Declarer’s ♣Q hold the trick! This surprising
play leaves Dummy an entry short of being able to enjoy the long Heart. So, 4♠
is down one after all?
►
No, of course
not, if West finds that fine play then Declarer counters by overtaking with the
Queen with the King! That provides the extra Dummy entry, and 4♠ does indeed
make. Was that how you bet?
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