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BRIDGE BITES #94
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DODGING AN
UPPERCUT
Brian Gunnell |
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♠ 95
♥
A63
♦
K8
♣ 876432 |
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Both Vulnerable
South West North
East
1♠ Dbl
2♣ 2♦
Pass Pass 2♠
3♦
3♠ Pass
Pass Pass
After a particularly
virulent outbreak of overbidding, one in which only West remained
unafflicted, you find yourself in the sickly contract of 3♠. The
defense starts with high Clubs, and you ruff the second round.
How will you proceed? |
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Dummy
West East
Declarer |
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♠ AJ876
♥
K984
♦
A97
♣ 5 |
►
With only four side-suit tricks,
you will need no fewer than five from the trump suit … a Diamond ruff in Dummy
would be one of them … and hopefully three Club ruffs and the ♠A would make up
the rest. Before you embark on your ruffing, is there any groundwork to be
done?
►
Yes! You want to cash the
♥AK first, lest
one of the defenders pitches away a Heart while you are ruffing Clubs. So,
after ruffing that second Club, you cash the ♥AK,
cross to the ♦K,
ruff another Club, cash ♦A,
ruff a Diamond in Dummy, and ruff another Club for 9 tricks. Here is the full
deal:
►
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♠ 95
♥
A63
♦
K8
♣ 876432 |
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♠ KT
♥
JT72
♦
642
♣ AKQT |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠ Q432
♥
Q5
♦
QJT53
♣ J9 |
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♠ AJ876
♥
K984
♦
A97
♣ 5 |
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Looking at all four hands, we can
see the importance of cashing those Hearts before ruffing the third round of
Clubs. Failure to do so, and East will dump a Heart on that trick and Declarer
will not score both Heart winners.
Now we ask the question: How
could East have made life more difficult for Declarer?
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East could have offered sterner
resistance. Look what happens if East ruffs the fourth round of Clubs with his
Queen (a so-called “uppercut”). Now, if Declarer overruffs with the Ace,
that will be her eighth and final trick. Her last four cards will be ♠J8 and
two Heart losers. She’ll exit with a Heart but East will alertly ruff his
partner’s winner, and fire a trump through. Down one.
However, Declarer can dodge that
uppercut by declining to over-ruff with the Ace. Instead, she pitches a Heart
loser, and will come to nine tricks one way or another. If South is going to
overbid like that then she needs to play them well!
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