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What will you say on the West cards?
Your hand is unsuitable for a take-out double because you hold only one heart and partner is very likely to respond in this suit. Some players would pass but it is better to bid 1S, overcalling at the one level on a four-card suit. You will suggest a good opening lead if North ends up in some heart contract. By taking away his 1H response, you make the bidding of the North hand more difficult. Awards: 1S — 10, Pass — 7, Double — 2. David Bird —
Knight Features
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A rough-and-ready auction carries you to 6S. West leads the jack of clubs and you win with the king. Since you can take only one trump finesse anyway, you might as well cash the trump ace first, in case East holds a singleton queen. No queen appears and you return to your hand with the ace of diamonds to run the trump jack. You encounter mixed luck on this trick. The finesse wins but East shows out. It seems now that you have one trump loser and one heart loser. Can you see any possible escape from this situation? You must aim for the rare manoeuvre known as a Smother Play. You need West’s shape to be 4-3-3-3. You ruff a diamond in your hand, cash all the other side-suit winners and lead a fourth round of diamonds from dummy. East wins the trick as you throw the last heart from your hand. West’s last three cards are the Q-8 of trumps and the heart queen. There is nothing he can do. If he throws his heart, the enforced minor-suit return from East will catch the trump queen in a guillotine. You will ruff with the 10 and West cannot score the trump queen, whether he overruffs or not. Nor is it any better for West to ruff partner’s diamond winner, of course. His queen of trumps would then fall under the ace.
Answer
