Masterful play

Press, 10 February 1982, Page 16

Masterful play

The 1981 Bols Brilliancy prize, awarded for the most outstanding defensive or declarer play in, either the European or the World Championship, was won by John Collings of London for his masterful handling of this tricky hand. South was the dealer, with both sides vulnerable:

Playing from the South seat in a final contract of six spades, it looks tempting to win the opening lead of a club with dummy’s ace, draw trumps with the ace, king and queen of spades, then overtake the king of diamonds with the ace, hoping to run the suit. The diabolical break in diamonds means that this line produces only four tricks in the suit, which, with six in spades and the ace of clubs, is one short of the required 12. Collings’ Hungarian counterpart tried a slightly better line. After taking the opening lead with the ace of clubs, he played the ace and queen of spades, leaving the king in dummy as an entry. Then he tried to cash the king of diamonds, expecting that it would win, and intending to cross to the table and collect four more tricks in the suit. It was a bitter blow when West ruffed the king and cashed, the ace of hearts to defeat the slam.

Collings . quickly demonstrated how to overcome the bad diamond break. He too won the first trick with the ace of clubs, and tested the spades by cashing the ace. Carefully noting the appearance of East’s jack, he continued with the six of hearts from dummy. When East played low it was all over. Collings put up the jack of hearts, allowing West to win

with the queen, but whatever was returned could do him no harm.

He would win a spade switch in hand, ruff a heart on the table, ruff a club, draw trumps and then overtake the diamond king with the ace. Six tricks in spades, four in diamonds a heart ruff and the ace of clubs would be enough for his slam.

A club return would be no better, for South would trump, ruff a heart, draw the remaining spades and again emerge with 12 tricks. The solution to the declarer’s problem, like many brilliancies, was really quite simple if one only thought of it.

At about the same time, the International Bridge Press Association announced that the Charles Solomon award for the “Hand of the Year” had gone to the Polish International Andrezej Wilkosz. He was South in the following hand, dealt by East with neither side vulnerable:

♦ AK7S

Polish, experts do not underbid, so, despite East’s opening bid of one diamond it did not take Wilkosz long to reach a contract of four spades on the North-South cards. West led a diamond to his partner’s king and East returned a club. Convinced that this was a singleton, South won with the ace, but now appeared sure to lose four tricks, two in trumps, a club and a diamond. Wilkosz had other ideas. He proceeded to trump a diamond on the table, led a heart and finessed the jack, cashed the ace of hearts, and ruffed his last diamond. After making the king of hearts on which he discarded a club, he led a club from dummy. Since it would not have availed East to sacrifice a trump trick by ruffing a loser, he discarded a diamond, so South won with the

♦ AK5 V 6 ♦ AQ J 107 5 ♦ A82 W. E. ♦643 ♦ J V A Q 10 5 2 ♦ 4 3 ♦ - ♦ 986432 ♦ J .10 9 7 6 *KQ54 : S. ♦ Q 1098 7 2 ♦ KJ987 ♦ K ♦ 3

W: E. ♦ 10 ♦ QJ87 V 10864 V Q72 ♦ 7532 ♦ AKIO 8 4 ♦ Q982 * 3 S. ♦ K543 A J ♦ Q96