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SOUTH'S 1s promised a five-card suit and North judged that he was worth a double raise. France’s Claude Delmouly played well to take advantage of a defensive slip. How would you tackle 4S when West leads the five of hearts and East plays the jack? Delmouly won with the ace and immediately returned a heart. West threw a diamond and dummy’s king won the trick. Declarer then played a third round of hearts to East’s queen, West throwing another diamond. All depended on East’s return. If he plays a heart, West can ruff declarer’s heart winner. It’s true that declarer can overruff and pick up the trump suit without loss but this will give him only five trumps, one ruff, two hearts and a diamond. A diamond return from East will also beat the contract. When East chose to play a club, West won declarer’s king with the ace and played a second club, ruffed by South. Delmouly played the ace and king of trumps, cashed the diamond ace and returned to hand with a club ruff. The good nine of hearts permitted a discard of dummylast diamond. Declarer then ruffed a diamond with dummy’s last trump and led a fourth round of clubs towards his bare ten of trumps. Whether or not East chose to ruff with his jack of trumps, the trump ten would be promoted into the game-going trick.
Answer A raise to 4S would be pre-emptive and would give no clue that you had such a good hand. You should either bid 2H, intending to bid strongly thereafter, or announce your spade fit immediately with a splinter-bid of 4C (showing a game raise with at most one club) or a cue-bid of 3C. AWARDS: 4C-10, 3C/2H-9, 4NT-5, 4S-3. — Knight Features |
