BRIDGE BITES #29
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TAKE FOUR
Brian Gunnell |
This week you are playing
E-W, and as the problem is a tough one you get four attempts to beat the
contract. And you even get to see all four hands!
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♠ 876
♥
K32
♦
AK98
♣ J92 |
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E-W Vulnerable
South West
North East
1♣ 1♠
Dbl 2♠
4♥
Pass Pass Pass
North’s Double showed
the unbid suits. She usually has four cards in the unbid major for
that bid, but was stuck for a good alternative. Anyway, South lands
in 4♥,
and you are on defense. Can you beat this precarious contract?
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♠ AJT43
♥
JT4
♦
Q54
♣ 73 |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠ KQ9
♥
Q65
♦
T7632
♣ 65 |
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♠ 52
♥
A987
♦
J
♣ AKQT84 |
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►
Take 1:
Declarer has loads of tricks, and her obvious losers are two Spades and a
trump. But maybe repeated Spade leads will force her lose trump control.
So Spades are led, Declarer ruffing the third round. The Heart Eight is
ducked around to East’s Queen. But East has no Spades left, and it’s easy
for Declarer to win whatever is returned, draw trumps and claim the rest.
The defense must do better than that.
►
Take 2:
The defense has a certain trump trick and must make sure that it is West
who wins that trick. This allows Spades to be continued, causing Declarer
to lose trump control. So, when the Heart Eight is led, West must hop up
with the Ten, forcing Declarer to play Dummy’s King. Now a Heart to
Declarer’s Ace and a low Heart to East’s Queen. Again the wrong defender
has won the Heart trick. That was a better try by the defense but not good
enough. Try again!
►
Take 3:
OK, suppose West plays his Heart Ten on the first round, forcing Dummy’s
King, but then, on the second round, East cleverly jumps up with the Queen.
No, that won’t work either, Declarer simply lets the Queen win. We’ll give
you one more chance!
►
Take 4:
As before, West plays the Ten on the first round of Hearts, and East must do
his part by dropping the
♥Q
under Dummy’s King! Great defense! This guarantees that West wins the
defense’s Heart trick and he is the one who can play Spades. Down one!
That would be an awfully hard
defense to find at the table, don’t you think? If fact, it’s tough enough
even when looking at all four hands. But a thing of beauty nonetheless, all
the more so as it gave both defenders a starring role.
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