BRIDGE BITES #92
|
A TRAIN TO CATCH
Brian Gunnell |
♠ T8
♥
AK
♦
T65
♣ KQ5432 |
|
Both Vulnerable
South West North
East
3♦
3NT Pass 6NT
Pass
Pass Pass
When he bid 6NT, could
North be sure that E-W wouldn’t cash two Diamonds on the go? Almost.
East supposedly had seven Diamonds … if South’s stopper was the Ace or
King then no problem … and if South held Qxx then West probably couldn’t
lead the suit! |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠ AKQJ
♥
9854
♦
KJ9
♣ A8 |
Against 6NT, West led the
♥Q, and
Declarer could count 9 top tricks. A couple of Diamond tricks would get him up
to only 11, so it looked like he needed Clubs to break 3-2.
Judging from what followed, one
can only assume that this was the last board of the evening and that Declarer
had a train to catch. He concluded that the Clubs had better be 3-2, and
announced to the assembled throng: “Making slam if the Clubs are 3-2, down one
if they are 4-1”. When it turned out that Clubs were actually 5-0 the
protagonists negotiated a settlement of down two.
If Declarer had not been reliant
on public transport and had given more thought at Trick 1 then he might have
seen that the contract had chances even if Clubs misbehaved. Our question is:
At Trick 2, what is the only card from Dummy which enables Declarer to make his
contract?
►
That’s right, Dummy must lead the
Diamond Ten, being prepared to let it ride if East plays low. But say that East
hops up with the Ace and fires back another Heart. Now, Declarer is up to 11
tricks. He takes his two Diamond tricks, then his Spades, and poor West is done
for. He cannot retain control of Hearts and Clubs, something has to
give, and a squeeze produces the 12th trick!
►
|
♠ T8
♥
AK
♦
T65
♣ KQ5432 |
|
♠ 9765
♥
QJT6
♦
♣ JT976 |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠ 432
♥
732
♦
AQ87432
♣ |
|
♠ AKQJ
♥
9854
♦
KJ9
♣ A8 |
|
That Diamond play at Trick 2 gave
Declarer an extra chance and could hardly cost. Even if the finesse improbably
lost to West’s singleton Queen, Declarer would still make his contract if the
Clubs were 3-2.
Back to Index