Bridge Problem

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 29, 3 February 1945, Page 5 (Supplement)

Bridge Problem

CLASSIC ELIMINATION Correct Play—Not Chance, Produces A Little Slam By BRUCE C. BELL •THERE are certain standard situa--1 tions in Bridge that have a habit of recurring, a knowledge and appreciation of which are great assets to any player. ..The following hand neatly illustrates such a situation:

Against South in six spades, West opened the king of hearts and durnmy's ace held the first trick. Pointing out to his opponents that his slam, depended upon the luck of the: diamond finesse, Declarer immediately led a small diamond from dummy and finessed his queen, West's king winning the trick. Npthing could now prevent Declarer from losing a further diamond trick, together with a contract which was as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. -...„ The Correct Play A smattering of knowledge of the mechanics of play would have helped South to obtain his little slam. After the first trick he should immediately cash up two top trump?, which must account for all his opponents' trumps, and preclude any chance of his side suits being ruffed. The second trump trick should be taken in dummy and dummy's last heart is led - and ruffed by Declarer, thus eliminating all hearts in the combined hands.

Three leads of clubs follow, the lead again finishing in dummy on the third round with the king of clubs, and jthis eliminates clubs from both North: and South hands.

Next a small diamond is led from dummy and South plays to cover any card that East may put up. For example, if East plays low, Declarer plays the 9; if East plays the 7 10 or jack, Declarer, plays the queen; if East drops the king, Declarer makes his ace. Now, it makes no difference when West takes the trick with his jack or king, for he is forced to return a diamond right up to South's tenace or, alternatively, he must lead back a heart or a club, which enables Declarer to trump in dummy and discard a diamond in his own hand (a "ruff and a slough"). It.. is worthwhile to set out all combinations of the diamond suit, from which it will be readily seen that, after the hand is stripped, the play set out above cannot possibly lose more th.an one trick. Next Week's Hand My irrepressible friend Whippleworth invaded the privacy of my bathroom the other morning to relieve himself of a description of the following masterpiece executed by him the previous eve.

Thrusting the above diagram through the steam into my lathered vision, Whippleworth told his tale. "I had occasion," quoth he, "to censure my partner, Captain Battleaxe, for underbidding the previous hand. Picking up the South hand after East had opened the bidding with one diamond, I bid two no trumps in the hope of manoeuvring my partner out of playing the hand. West, little Mcßabbit, bid three spades. "' Six no trumps,' said the Captain, in an unnecessarily rude tone, ' and as you're such a good player, let's see you get it.' "East, Dr. Longue-Squash, doubled, and Mcßabbit led the 8 of spades, on which the studious Doctor made the ponderous discard of the queen of diamonds^. From which valuable information I played for the only possible distribution and made my little slam." How did Whippleworth play the hand?