CONTRACT BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 156, 3 July 1936, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE.

OPTIMISTIC BIDDING PLUS ACCURATE PLAY. (By ELY CULBERTSOX.) To-day's hand illustrates optimism in the bidding. It also is a fine example of utilising every bit of all too slender resources to make a contract which could be defeated, and it discloses a common defensive error. Optimism in the bidding is forgivable, especially from the standpoint of those of us who analyse play, because it results in some of the finest of bridge stratagems being used as a means of making apparently unmakeable contracts. North dealer. East and West vulnerable.

South's bid of three no trump is based on the hope of a solid five-card Diamond suit, but even at that is over-enthusiastic, as. it appears difficult to find a sufficient number of tricks to total nine in the combined hands with only a single Heart stopper. The opening lead was the Heart 9, and the declarer, on the basis of the vulnerable overcall by East, correctly placed the high cards in the East hand. There was nothing to be gained by a liokl-up in the Heart suit, so South immediately won with the Ace, as he desired to retain the Heart in dummy for the subsequent end-plav. He could see eight tricks —five Diamonds and the other three Aces. . The only possibility of the ninth was in establishing the Spane Queen as a winner. Unfortunately from South's standpoint this could not be done by leading Spades, as East would cash the Spade King, and, with his four established Hearts, defeat the contract.

South decided to attempt to make the Queen of Spades without permitting East to make the King. He therefore led his five Diamonds, upon which East discarded two Clubs and two Spades, thus giving the declarer an accurate count of his hand. The declarer now laid down the Ace of Clubs and followed with the last Heart from dummy. East then cashed his four Heart tricks, but at the end was compelled to concede two Spade tricks to the declarer. East could have averted this end-play by prdper defence. Instead of discarding two Clubs and two Spades on the Diamonds, he should have discarded two Spades, one Heart and the Club Queen. By thus unblocking-tlie Club suit, he would have retained a card of exit, and in his case a card of exit was essential. • • * • East dealer. Both sides vulnerable.

The hand will be discus6ed in next week's article.