THE GAME OF BRIDGE

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 128, 1 June 1935, Page 19

THE GAME OF BRIDGE

Hand No. 10: Careful Hin4lin|. East-West par: Four spades bid and inadi East dealer: Both sides vulnerable. 9 K.q.j.8.1 + K.G. jj, K.8.4.3. 4A.K.8.1.3. Wth. »J.5.2-; V A.7.3. -" *j 9 6.4. ♦ 7.2. . | j <>A.Q.9.5.4. 4kQJ2. I South. 14, A.7.6. 4 Q.10.6. 9 10.9.5. 4 J.10.8.3 J.10.9. The bidding: East. South. West. North, pass pass 1 £ pass 2 + (1) P.if.s 2 £' pass 4 pass pass - pass Official comment.—(l) ,The • natura bid. With less, than adequate trum] support, East does not want to double raise his partner's suit unless it cai be rebid. 1 The play: West, the declarer, shoult fulfil his contract by safe and "care ful rather than brilliant play. North', natural opening of the heart Kinj must be ducked as a precautionar: measure against permitting the op ponents to force the dummy by a thin round of hearts before West is read: for them to dp so. North will continui with a heart in all probability, am West will win, arid now must im mediately take the- diamond finesse The, Queen in dummy: holds .the' trick and now two rounds of trumps ar< taken with the Ace. and King, leaving the high one outstanding. The ■ lov diamond is led to dummy's Ace anc the third round of the suit ruffed ir ieclarer's" hand. Dummy is nov entered by ruffing the third heart,, anc mother diamond led and ruffed, whicl sets up the fifth diamond in dummy A. club is then led to dummy's Ace and the good diamond played Whether South trumps or not is im naterial, as the declarer now has ter :ricks—either the diamond will b< illowed to hold or if South ruffs witt lis high trump West will discard, anc se able to make his own last trump. Obviously, if the declarer allows the 'ulfllment of the contract to rest or ,he hope that the club. King is in the South hand he will be doomed tc ailure. Also, if West wins the openng heart lead with the Ace and leads he heart right back. the opponents :an defeat the contract either by leadng a third round of the heart suit, hus forcing dummy ■ to' ruff premaurely, .or by leading the Jack of clubs hrough" West's Queen. Hand No. 11: A HMrt-hrwklM FrMk. North-South par; Bid as many spades as ccessary to outbid Fast and West, and make oven in the' play. East-West par: Bid up to seven hearts un«s doubled at live or sir. Five must be rer oubled. . ■ South dealer: Neither side vulnerable. £ Q.J.10.7.6.5.4. + 4.3.2. ■ ■ ■ . 4^9.3.2. ► - k' SSHE-UK-2----f K.Q.J.10.1. s « V A.9.5.A. . ► - g -g^K.J.9.B.T. I A.K.J.10.8.7.C.5. I Smith. lAO-4. 4 A.9.8.5. f 7.5:4.3. Tlio bidding: | outli. West. North; East. ♦ .■ 2^ .2^ 2N.T. 3jk 4 Jf, pass .- 4 N.T. . rasa , 6 64 7ff ', pass pass 7 double pass pass pass ' — Official comment: The above is not the only correct bidding, as freak hands of this type can be bid in many ways; but in any case East and West

Weekly Chat on Contract Specially Written for "The'Post" bv "Approach Bid" '

TWO WORLD OLYMPIC HANDS V

should not fail to get to seven heartt , without having to be pushed to it by North and South. North and Sovih, on the other hand, after finding their spade fit, should not permit themselves to be outbid, particularly with a slam bonus threatening. South, despite his possession of two Aces, should not double seven hearts, and North should go to se^en spades, remembering his partner's earlier spade raise,-and intending the seven-spadej)id as a sacrifice. • •' ' . The play: ■ With all the finesses | working, North finds himself fulfilling his contract. Since East seems marked with both outstanding trumps, the spade finesse is indicated as prer*l^ able to playing for the drop. Tb* double diamond finesse must also be taken, for it is the ~ only hope. The North hand, of course, is entered for these finesses by ruffing hearts, and North's three club losers are eventually trumped in- dummy.- * ■ This hand was undoubtedly.the most interesting of all the Olympic bands. Seven hearts-by; East-West was, of course, a lay-down grand, slam, like-wise-seven club's. East's two-no-trump bid over North's two-spade: overcall showed a hold in the spade suit as well as honour-trick value. It seems to me that South, with seven playing tricks in his hand (spades being trumps) and the.knowledge that both-his' spades and diamonds sat over East's , hand, should have raised his partner to four spades instead of three, particularly as West, by his first bid (the immediate overcall in the opponent's suit), had announced his intention of eventually bidding game. West would then have had to show his suit for the first time at the range-of five odd, when North would certainly have bid five spades. A subsequent bid of spven hearts by East-West could have been outbid by North-South at seven spades as a sacrifice bid, without risking a heavy loss. Regarding the play of the hand at seven spades doubled, in the official comment it'is stated that, "since East seems marked with both outstanding trumps, the spade finesse is indicated as preferable to playing for the drop." It must be assumed then that North leads the Queen of spades and that East covers with his King. .If East covers, a grand slam is assured. North would not lead a second spade, as he must reserve dummy's ■ three remaining spades for trumping his1, own three losing clubs, and East's .two of spades is harmless. What has East to gain by covering North's Queen? As soon as the dummy hand is exposed East knows that his partner has either a void or at most a singleton spade. It seems to me, that East should refuse to cover, as he cannot possibly gain by such a play. The grand slam would be defeated by his refusal, as dummy's three remaining spades, the Ace, nine, and eight, would all be required for trumping his partner's three * losing clubs, and-- then East's King of spades must make. If North plays a seconds spade, to. draw East's King, he must then lose a club trick in his own hand.