Sunday, August 19, 2001		Bridge

Building up 10 tricks
by Omar Sharif

THE Leukaemia Research Fund bridge week starts on Thursday with the Charity Challenge Cup.

This is played simultaneously at more than 500 clubs and I have often contributed a hand for the souvenir booklet.

Most clubs will be running heats — try to make sure you play at yours in order to help this excellent cause.

This was a deal I submitted — no, it won’t help you this year, it was used in 1983.

South dealt with East-West game. Sitting North in a big pairs competition, I heard my partner open One No-trump (16-18 points) and I had an automatic raise to game.

Away from the table a couple of minutes to make a telephone call, I returned to find that partner had made two more tricks than anyone else.

At the end of the session, I found out what had happened. At practically every other table west had led a Diamond to his partner’s Ace and a Diamond return cleared the suit.

When west got in with the Ace of Clubs it was all over — one off.

At my table, under the Ace of Diamonds partner had dropped the King.

Convinced that declarer must have both the King and Queen, East now switched to the Queen of Hearts and, as there was still a Diamond guard on the table, South had time to build up 10 tricks.