THE GAMB OF BRIDGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 35, 10 February 1940, Page 17

THE GAMB OF BRIDGE

A CLEVER DEFENSIVE PLAY

W have all had the experience, when .'playing on defence, of being void in a suit led by the opponents, the void thus expbsed enabling the declarer to finesse with safety against any honour our partner might hold in the suit. In the following hand a defending player cleverly steered his defence so that his void in the suit was not discovered until it was too .late to be of any advantage to the declarer. .■-...■-.♦.J....'... I % ■ - - VB- -.,:■.;. 4 K.Q.J.G. 7 ?-.-. , £ 'A.K*Q.10.8.6.a.. $ 10.8.3. f-'Wrih. j•> A.K.Q.5.4.2. 9 10.5.3. % '■ « V J-0-6' 2' $ A.10.8. | I' 4 0,7.5. Jf, 3.9.7.2. \ South. 11.-. A 3.9.7. V A.K.Q.7.4. A 4.3.3. .*5-4., ~. West dealer. Both sides vulnerable. ~The bidding:— . ..West,'- North. East. South. Pass 1 J(, 1 A 2 * "vPass 4 Jf, Pass 4 9 ';' 5 4, Pass Pass /Pass y East led the King of spades, instead of continuing the suit and forcing the declarer to ruff, East immediately switched to a small heart, in order to prevent North from obtaining the lead, as he knew that North would at; once lead trumps, when the void in trumps would be revealed, and would establish a possible finesse against any honour West might hold in the trump suit. If North holds two hearts, the same reasoning applies,' for a heart lead at trick two removes alater entry card from the durhiry hand, in case North should need both to . finesse against a trump honour, and also, to discard a loser on one of Souths winning hearts. The.heart trick was won in dummy

Weekly Chat on Contract Specially Written fob "The Post* by "Approach Bid"

I and a diamond was immediately dis-! carded by North on a second heart

winner. ■ A small trump was now led to dummy's Ace. It was too late lor North to benefit by East's void and t West could not be prevented from making a trump trick, which, with the Ace of diamonds, defeated the contract. Had East continued with a spade instead of switching to a heart, North must make his contract, as the first round of trumps having located the void, dummy would have been entered with the Ace of diamonds to take the club finesse through West. ANOTHER DEFENSIVE PLAY. 4 8.7.6,2. V 6.4- -----+ J-7.4. * K-5.4. ' HorJET-'-'l*.l'o---' * A.Q.J.3,2. i m X.9.8.7. £ 6.5. § «/♦ A.X.10.9.3. $> 8.7.5. { South. (J^ X.6.4. ▲ A.Q.J.9.3. y 10.5. + Q. 8.2. - 4» A.9-2. East dealer. . Both sides vulnerable. The .bidding :— ' Bast. South. West. North. i>- ■• -i-4k 2»- pass 4M Pass Pass Pass After West's free bid of two hearts over Souths interposing bid of one spade, East must raise his partner to game. Although his hand is not particularly strong in honour-tricks, >t is very strong distributionally in support of his partner's heart call, providing seven playing tricks at a heart contract. • Generally speaking, a suit overcall invites an opening lead by the partner in that suit, but there are occasions when this lead should not be chosen. In the above hand, North knows from his own holding that in all probability he will be unable to regain the lead during the course of the play. Since he holds four of his partner's spades, it is unlikely that the spade suit will furnish more than one trick defensively. On the bidding, one of the opponents should have a singleton (East's jump to game strongly suggests a singleton spade), but even H bdth bold doubletons and South should hold Ace and King, North does not have to lead the suit for south. North must mase the most constructive lead possible, in order that tricks may be established in another suit if possible. He therefore leads the Queen of clubs from his sequence in that suit—his normal lead if his partner had not bid. This lead, through dummy's King, enables North-South to take three tricks immediately, which, with the Ace of Spades, defeats the contract!

It will »c seen that, should North lead a spade, West would be able to make his contract, as he could establish the diamond suit for discards. Even if the diamond suit were not divided 3 and 3, West would be able to discard a club from dummy on his King of spades.