PENCIL BRIDGE

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 257, 26 July 1930, Page 26

PENCIL BRIDGE

(All rights reserved by Australian United Press.)

SOLUTION OF THURSDAY’S HAND.

Before you note the entire play examine first the bidding. If you find it is different from your own make a note of what you scored with your own bidding, then rub out your play and replay the hand in accordance with Mott-Smith’s bidding Then you can actually compare your playing, trick by trick, with the expert’s. THE BIDDING S, pass; W, pass; N, pass; E, onc Spade; al! pass. THE PLAY. Trick 1: S leads 4 of Clubs; W, 9 of Clubs; N, K of Clubs; E, Ace of Clubs. Trick 2: E leads 3 of S, 6 of Clubs; W, 10 of Clubs; N, 5 of Clubs. Trick 3: W leads 4 of Diamonds; N, 2 of Diamonds;-E, 9 of Diamonds; S, 10 of Diamonds. Trick 4: S leads 10 of Spades; W, Ace of Spades; N, 3 of Spades; E, 6 of Spades. Trick 5: W leads 2 of Spades; N, 5 of Spades; E, K of Spades; S, 4of Spades. \ Trick 6: E leads Ace of Diamonds; S, K of Diamonds; W, 5 of Diamonds; N, 6 of Diamonds. Trick 7: E leads J of Diamonds; S, 3 of Diamonds; W, 8 of Diamonds; N, Q of Diamonds. Trick 8: N leads 7 of Spades; E, 8 of Spades; S, 3 of Hearts; W, J of Spades. Trick 9: W leads 8 of Hearts; N, 2 of Hearts; E, 5 of Hearts; S, J of Hearts. Trick 10: S leads 4 of Hearts; W, 9 of Hearts; N, 10 of Hearts; E, Q of Hearts., Declarer claims the rest. He wins ten tricks, making game. • ’ ' * ’ COMMENT. • Trick 2: Declarer counts the game already in, as he seems sure to win three Club tricks, five . Spades; and two red Aces. Caution says, “Push the Club right back, before yanking out trumps, to preserve all resources in case S gets nasty.” No ruff of a Club is to be feared, as the opening lead has indicated a 4-3 split in the suit. And get nasty, S does! S can aw that to win the Club lead will establish two additional Clubs for Declarer, giving him nine top tricks in sight. One additional Heart or any Diamond trick will thus give Declarer game. The only hope of stopping game is to let Dummy win this Club trick, the defence sacrificing one trick in the suit to save two. Trick 3: The best move for Declarer to make next is apparently to go after the Diamond suit in the hope of establishing two tricks.

Trick 6: The next try will L. .? m.lisc the unproductive Diamond suit for a throw-in. If S can be stuck in on the third round of Diamonds. and caught without trumps or Diamond! for exit, thpn he will be forced to give Declarer game by a Club or Heart* lead. But before taking out the last adverse trump—and Dummy’s—Declarer had best cash the Diamond Ace to look at the prospects of his plot. S can see through the hole in a millstone.

Declarer’s play of the Diamond suit scream! that N'has at least the Queen. S throws in hit King to keep out of the lead. Trick 7: As S’s play to the previous trick smells strongly of a Dcschapelles coup, Declarer sees no use in taking out the last trump before leading the Diamond. N will undoubtedly win and will have a Diamond for exit. Th! best chance is to lead the Diamond at once, hoping that N has not the last adverse trump, and so will be forced to assist Declarer by a Club, Diamond, or Heart lead. Trick 8: By this time E sees that life is all a snare and a delusion! The Adversaries are Houdinis at getting out! Two chances remain. One is for E tb win the trump lead and cash all his trumps, playing for some kind of squeeze. The other is to let Dummy win the trump, and lead toward the Queen of Hearts as a vulgar development play. The latter course appears the more sensible. Trick 9: E has had no resolutions as to how he .is going to play to this trick. But when N does not produce the King, E can scarcely credit him with the iron nerve to withhold it. The King appears marked in S’s hand. Eureka! the .trick is ducked to S, who finally is sewed in without exit! After the game is scored, and as XV is congratulating his partner, S bursts out wraths fully, “That game could have been stopped with any kind of defence from N!” “Why, what do you mean?” retorts N. “If I cover the eight of Hearts, so does E, and Dummy holds the major tenace.” “That’s not what I’m talking about. What’s the idea of the supine trump .exit at Trick 8? Why not punch E with a Club and put me in a position to exit later with the top Club?” E cuts in, “But I wouldn't trump the Club lead. I’d chuck a Heart and then let go my other losing Heart on Dummy’s good Club.** “Not while I live! Don’t you think I’d lead back the Club, and let my partner kill it with his last trump?” “ “I thought of that,” says N mendaciously, “but I was afraid you couldn’t read that Declarer had left me a trump.” “Ye gods! If E has six trumps he always has a game from the start, with at least two Clubs and two other Accs! I have to defend the whole hand on the assumption that E has no more than five trumps.” “It seems to me,” pipes up W, “that if N led a Club at Trick 8, E should trump, go over to Dummy with the last trump, and lead the last Club, sticking S in to lead away from his Hearts.” “Sure, that would make it,” says N, triumphant. “E could have done that anyhow, by using two trump entries to ruff the third Club and then lead the fourth Club for a throw-in. He didn’t have to be so fancy.” “But how do I know S has the King of Hearts?” E is aggrieved to see his glory fading. “It certainly looks better .not to play for this one situation, but to give you fellows plenty of rope.” "He hung us,” concludes S acidly.