Bridge Bites

BRIDGE BITES #73

A TWO-EDGED SWORD

Brian Gunnell

♠ T762

♥ 43

♦ Q654

♣ Q64

E-W Vulnerable

South West North East

Pass Pass 1NT

2♥ 3♦ Pass Pass

3♥ Pass Pass Pass

According to the E-W bidding methods, East’s 1NT showed

15-17 and West’s 3♦ was purely competitive. South pushed

on to 3♥, a precarious contract which depended on playing

the Spades for one loser. Given the apparent lack of

entries to Dummy, that was likely to be problematic.

Dummy

West East

Declarer

♠ AQ98

♥ KQJ976

♦ J

♣ K2

West leads his 4^th best Diamond and, as this is the Three, and considering the bidding, it is clear that West had led from a five-card suit. East wins her Ace, and you ruff the Diamond continuation. Before drawing trumps, you might as well play the ♣K, hoping to force an entry to Dummy. But E-W are up to the challenge and the King is allowed to hold the trick. How did E-W know that you were not trying to sneak through the singleton ♣K?

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When Declarer leads a suit the defense gives a count when possible. What happened on that Club trick was that West played the Nine, a high card to show an even number of Clubs. That told East that your ♣K could not be singleton and that it was safe to duck the first round of the suit. Good defense, it has deprived you of a Dummy entry. Undeterred, you play the ♥K losing to East’s Ace, ruff the Diamond return, and drew the remaining trumps (West pitching a Diamond on the third round of trumps).

You must now play the Spades from hand. Should you play ♠A followed by a low Spade (hoping that East had started with Kx)? Or ♠A followed by the Queen (hoping that West had started with Jx)?

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