CONTRACT BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 194, 18 August 1939, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE.

BREAKING A RULE.

(By THE FOUR ACES.)

When dummy contains no honours that can bo finessed against and your partner leads that suit, you are always supposed to play your highest card (unless holding a sequence). Failure to play your highest is called "finessing against your partner." this (being considered one of the worst bridge crimes, since you are completely fooling him as to your holding. However, there are occasions -when even this strict rule should Ibe Ibroken. In to-day's hand East finessed against his partner, (but (by so doing gained such valuable information that he was enaibled to defeat an almost iron-clad slam contract.

"U est opened the three of Diamonds. Dummy played low and East decided to take his time and think things over. He could see only one trick in sight—his King of Hearts, and quite naturally wished to make another if that were 'possible. He remembered that declarer had cue-bid in Spades and hence was sure either to hold the Ace or be void. Dummy's Club suit offered no encouragement, and it was almost inconceivable that his 'partner airainst a slam contract had underled the Ace of Diamonds. However, there was a good chance that West had led from the Queen of Diamonds, and East decided that it (behoved him to find out. East therefore played the ten of Diamonds, a play that might fool his partner, since it denied the King.

Declarer won with the Queen and now took a Heart Ea.-t capturing the trick with his King. East now knew that declarer could win either a -.S|wde or a Diamond return. By a process of elimination this left only one possibility of gain—a Club return. Thus East returned a Club and his partner trumped.

Although under other circumstances West might have been annoyed by East's. Diamond play, in this case he congratulated him warmly on his well-thought-out defence.