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Scope for subtlety THIS week’s hand ended in an odd fashion. With the four players reduced to three cards each, all in the same suit, there was still considerable scope for subtlety.
This left everyone with just three Spades apiece. As the cards lie a winning play is to run S10 round to East and end-play him but instead south led S5. West, who could well have been excused for losing interest and parting with his solitary picture card on the first trick, stayed awake and followed with the nine. The Queen was finessed, losing to the King, and the four of Spades came back. Can you see South’s problem in the two-card ending? If East hold SJ, the ten is the winning play. If West holds SJ, the seven may force it and establish the ten. There would have been no story if declarer had got it right but he tried the seven and so went one off. The key point, of course, is that if West had followed automatically to the first Spade lead with the Six, South would have been left with no option but the winning play of the ten on the second round of the suit. |
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At game all, South
dealt and opened One No-trump. North raised to game and against 3NT it
was natural for West to lead the Jack of Hearts. East took his three
Heart tricks and switched to a Club: declarer played off four club
winners and three top Diamonds to end in hand.