CONTRACT BRIDGE It does not always pay to draw trumps

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32540, 25 February 1971, Page 16

CONTRACT BRIDGE It does not always pay to draw trumps

(Contributed by J.R.W.)

In the past New Zealand’s ventures into international bridge competition have been rather spasmodic, but the New Zealand Contract Bridge Association has recently adopted a more definite policy than that followed in the past. Annual matches wifh Australia were the first step, a visit from a strong American team the second. These roused considerable interest, and proved that while our players lacked experience, they were not far behind the overseas experts in technique and knowledge. The next stage will be to take part in ‘he Far East Bridge Federation Championship to be held in Melbourne later this year. After that it is planned to send a team to the World Bridge Olympiad lat Miami in 1972. All this will use a lot of money, much of which will come from the Master Points Scheme. In addition all entrants for tournaments are levied a nominal amount, but (there are so many events ithese days that the total becomes respectable. Finally, a New Zealandwide Pairs Contest was organised recently. It took the form of a one-night competition in which players all over the country played the same set hands. The pair scoring best on them will win a handsome prize. Of the entry fee part goes to the organising club, part for the prizes, and the balance towards the Travel Fund. All competitors received a brochure, after play had finished, setting out all the hands they had just dealt with, and comments on what they might have done. This was one particularly good hand. There were fewproblems in the bidding, and

the play required no brilliance, just sound technique: N. S—J 10 3 H—K.Q74 D—B 2 C—A K 4 2 W. E. S—Q74 S—6s H—9653 H—AlO 8 D—K 75 4 D—J 10 9 3 C—J 10 C—Q 98 3 S. S—A K 9 8 2 H—J 2 D—AQ6 C—76 5 S. W. ' N. E. ■ IS No 2C No 2S No 4S All • Pass

South, the dealer, opens one spade, and North’s best response is two clubs. This has the merit of allowing South the chance to show a diamond spit if he has one, in which case North can be sure no-trumps will be a playable spot. The two-club response does not preclude the possibility of a heart contract, for South is free to call this suit with a fair holding in it. In the event, South can only rebid his spades; and North knowing the partnership has eight cards in this suit, with an opening bid of his own, jumps to four spades. West has a difficult opening lead, but the jack of clubs is probably best. It is through dummy’s announced strength and being from a short suit offers a vague hope perhaps of a third round ruff.

North’s ace takes the first trick, East dropping the eight by way of encouragement to his partner. An old bridge saying has Lit that there are many people walking the London Embank-,

ment because of their failure to draw trumps, but there are just as many there because they did. i On this hand if the declarer starts on spades at once, when West wins with the queen he will lead another club. Then when the defenders gain the lead with either the ace of hearts or king of diamonds they will be able to cash a club trick, and South will lose a trick in each suit for one down.

After taking the ace of clubs the declarer must first attack hearts—small to the jack, and a second round to the king and ace. East returns a club to dummy’s king, and the queen of hearts is made, on which South’s losing club disappears. The declarer cannot yet lead trumps, for he has at least one losing diamond to dispose of. He leads the suit from the table, and when East follows small, he puts on the queen in the hope that the king is on-side. But West wins, continuing with his last heart ruffed by South. The latter makes his diamond ace, thep ruffs his last diamond with dummy’s 10 of spades. With only spades left in his hand, he can no longer postpone drawing trumps. The jack is led and South ducks, hoping that East has the queen. When West wins it is the last trick for the defence, as the rest of South’s hand is high, spades. The declarer, having walked a narrow tight-rope, has made two tricks in clubs, two in hearts, four in spades, the ace of diamonds and one ruff in dummy. If he starts drawing trumps at any earlier stage, the defence can continue to lead them when they gain the lead and deny him the chance to ruff a diamond.