BRIDGE BITES #126
|
HERO OR ZERO
Brian Gunnell |
|
♠ 75
♥
A52
♦
K72
♣ AJT62 |
|
Both Vulnerable
South West North
East
1♠
Pass 2♣ Pass
2♠
Pass 4♠ Pass
Pass Pass
|
♠ K3
♥
KQT8
♦
T986
♣ 853 |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
We can tell you ahead of time
that 4♠ is an iron-clad contract, and the play is simply a battle for
overtricks. Not a big deal if you are playing rubber bridge, but in the world
of duplicate bridge, overtricks are important. You are West, you will be
required to do something brilliant!
When the deal was played, all the
West players led the ♥K
(nothing brilliant there), won by Dummy’s Ace, after which it was a routine
matter for Declarer to lose the Spade finesse. West cashed a Heart, and
Declarer won the Diamond shift in her hand. Trumps were drawn and, as Declarer
had Kx in Clubs, it was easy enough to set up the Clubs and rack up 11
tricks.
Will you, as West, submit to that
fate? Or will you do something bold, brilliant and a little bit scary?
►
Yes, no doubt you spotted it
right away, you are a daring West and will duck the ♠K on the first round of
trumps! Of course, Declarer will have no way of knowing that you now have the
unprotected King, so she will cross to Dummy’s
♦K
and repeat the finesse. You will win the King, cash a Heart, and exit a
Diamond, but Declarer now has only 10 tricks. The full deal:
►
|
♠ 75
♥
A52
♦
K72
♣ AJT62 |
|
♠ K3
♥
KQT8
♦
T986
♣ 853 |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠ T86
♥
J643
♦
QJ3
♣ Q74 |
|
♠ AQJ942
♥
97
♦
A54
♣ K9 |
|
You see what happened, don’t
you? Your diabolical duck of the ♠K
persuaded Declarer to waste a valuable Dummy entry on a futile finesse. Now the
Clubs could not be established for lack of Dummy entries.
However, your ducking play was
not without risk, and you would hardly have been a hero if Partner’s trumps
were, for example, Jx or JTx. But, if that had turned out to be the case, then
at least you would have had an amusing story to tell on yourself later. And you
could no doubt have counted on Partner’s legendary sense of humor as you
ruefully scored your -680 and zero matchpoints.
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