THE GAME OF BRIDGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 80, 1 October 1938, Page 19

THE GAME OF BRIDGE

THAT NECESSARY RE-ENTRY

Faced with a very difficult hand on which to make his game contract, a declarer had a brilliant inspiration when seeking for some means of creating an extra re-entry into his own hand, that being the only hope of success. The hand follows:— 4 7.5.4.3. y k.io. 4 7.4.2. ' . 4, 10.8.5.4. ♦ W-9-6. Nirth. |4 »• .'.■'' ■ 9 Q. 8.7.5.2. a g 9J. 9. 4 K.Q.J. -| W 4 10.8.6.5. J^ A.2. I South. 1 K.Q.J.7.6.3. 4 A.K.Q.J.2. 9 A.6.4.3. 4 A.9.3. South, dealer. >-' Both sides vulnerable. North-South reached a contract of .four spades with no opposition. Although' he knew that his partner's raise to two spades might be a shaded raise (a possibility always to be seriously considered when there has been no intervening bid) South, with seven and a half playing tricks and a solid trump suit, Was justified in bidding four spades. '■'.'. North's raise in this case was "definitely a minimum. West led the King of diamonds. After winning the trick with his Ace, South thought long, before deciding how he would play the hand. He first considered the idea of ruffing his two losing hearts in dummy before leading trumps, but realised that a third round of the suit might be overruffed, while an overruff of a fourth round was a certainty. The idea of immediately drawing two rounds of trumps then presented itself in the hope that if the trumps did not break 2-2, the opponent who held the three trumps would also hold long hearts. For this plan to succeed, however. South discovered that he needed an extra entry m his own hand, as, without it, before he could re-enter his hand he must lose a club trick, when the last adverse trump would be led, and so spoil dummy's heart ruff. Suddenly, South saw a way of immediately establishing the necessary additional re-entry. At" trick two, therefore, he, led his singleton club. After that, the opponents could not prevent his making the game. On regaining the lead, at trick four, he drew two rounds of trumps, East discarding on the second round. The hearts were then led, and, East proving to be short in that suit also, South was able to cross-ruff the hand out, and. so make his contract. ' The following hand taken from play, in which the declarer was playing a slam contract, is an illustration of a "Grand Coup" executed by him against "a defender. The opportunity for this coup does not arise very often, but when it does, there is no hope for the defender concerned.

4 10.9.6. 9 Q. 8.7.5.2. 4 K.Q.J. * A.2.

Weekly Ch at on Contract

Specially Written for "The Post" by "Approach BidP

A Q-5.5.4. " . <p 10.8.4. 4 9.8.7. Jj, J. 4,2. - * A.2. ,— N^tS-l ♦ K.J.9.7.fc 9 A.K.Q.J.5. I~ ~ 9. .:■-■" 4J. 5.2. \£. 4 K.lO. '■■■ Jf, X.10.5. r South. J A A.Q.9.8J, ■ 4 10.3. "■' ''AA-x 1f 7.6.3*. 4 A.Q.6.4.1*. | East, dealer. East-West vulnerable. ; East opened the bidding with one spade, and after a forcirig-to-game.take-out of y three hearts, by his partner,; a final Contract of six spades was reach- - cd. (A forcing-to-game take-out between- these players inferentially guarantees some support for the partner'^ suit, including at least an honour.) South was a" player who believes in playing out an Ace against ; a suit| small slam contract, as he considers, that too often a defender who does1 not lead an Ace finds himself left with, it at the end of the hand. His opening lead, therefore, was the Ace off diamonds. (In this case, it so happens, that any other opening lead would, have enabled East to discard ifis two losing diamonds on West's winning! hearts, thus making the small slam secure.) The diamond lead was continued and East won the trick with the King. Two rounds of trumps were then led, the Jack being successfully finessed on the second round. SouthS ten fell on this trick, but East's problem was that if the play of the ten, was a "false-card," his contract wasl safe, but if it was genuine, North still; held a guard to his Queen, in which case it would be necessary for East 'to, execute a "grand coup" against North, In order to do this he must shorten his own trumps by ruffing one of dummy's winning hearts, so that his trump length was reduced to two —the same number as were left in North's hand. After long deliberation East decided to treat Souths ten of trumps as genuine, and proceeded with the graijd. coup play. At the fifth trick he entered dummy with a heart, and ruffed a second winning heart trick, thus reducing his trump holding to X.9 over North's Q.B. Re-entering dummy's hand with the King of clubs, all he had ,to, do now was to go on leading hearts and discarding winning clubs, until after the eleventh trick he sat with X.9 over North's Q.B, as planned. The "Grand Coup" is the name given. to a play by declarer by means *bfl which he deliberately reduces his, trump length by ruffing one of dummy's tricks. Sometimes the declarer finds that one of his opponents holds a number of trumps which cannot be drawn or led through, so that, eventually the declarer would have to' ruff, and lead up to that opponent's trumps, and thereby lose a trick. In order to retain the lead in the correct hand, it is necessary that the declarer should reduce the number of trumps in his hand. This is done by ruffing one of dummy's tricks, ihstead of discarding from his own hand.