Both sides could claim to be lucky

Press, 26 September 1989, Page 9

Both sides could claim to be lucky

CONTRACT BRIDGE

J.R. Wignail

In this year’s Far East Bridge Championships a deal occurred that was a rare example of a hand where both sides could claim to have been lucky; West dealt with neither side vulnerable: N

With China North-South they bid very aggres-

They were lucky because the club king was in the right place for the declarer to take the finesse and make his thirteenth trick that way. At the other table, Taipei bid very conservatively: W N E S No 14 No 24 No 2V No 34 No 44 All Pass They failed to progress beyond game but they too were lucky. Even if they had bid and made six spades they would still have lost heavily on the board once their opponents had a Grand Slam in the bag. At the championships there was the usual in-

tense rivalry between Taiwan and Indonesia.

The Indonesian pair, Sacul and Waluyan, plays a very tricky game at times. On this hand dealt by South they gave the declarer a terrible guess very early in the play. He was almost guaranteed to go wrong:

Against five clubs doubled, a contract that was destined to succeed-, West led the king of spades. East overtook

with the ace and smartly switched to the ace and eight of diamonds. Now you and I can see that if the declarer plays low the trick will be won by the jack and he has no further problems. But poor South, unable to see the opposing cards, reflected that East would defend this way if he held only two diamonds.

In this case to play low on the second round would be fatal. West would produce the queen and give his partner a diamond ruff. After agonising thought the declarer took the second trick with the king of diamonds and tried his alternative play of setting up the hearts. When the king of hearts did not drop after two ruffs, he was one down in a contract he might have made.