The Game Of Bridge

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 72, 21 September 1940, Page 17

The Game Of Bridge

A CLEVER DUCKING PLAY

The following hand, taken from actual play in a rubber bridge game, and played at a small slam contract, illustrates a point of special interest in the defensive play of one of the opponents:— 4 K.Q.2. 9 9.5.4. + 6.4. Jf, 9.8.4.3.2. ♦ 10- 9' B- North. "] * J-7-6.5.4.3. 4. J. 10.7.5.2. g g 4. 8. A.K.Q.6.5. "* South. Jfr J. 10.7. A.K.Q.10.8.6.3. A.K.Q.9.3. West dealer. North-South vulnerable. The bidding: I West. North. "East. South, pass pass pass 2 pass . 2 X.T. pass G qp pass pass pass After North's two no-trump response, South jumped straight to six hearts, trusting to make his contract, even if his partner's hand was trickless, by using his long trui>;> suit to force discards which might include diamonds, the concealed suit on which he must depend for the success of his contract. West led the King of clubs, and South studied the situation. With ten trumps in the partnership hands, the nine of trumps appeared to be an entry into dummy's hand, which would enable him to discard his two losing diamonds on dummy's King and Queen of spades, and so win all thirteen tricks. After ruffing the club lead, he led the Ace of hearts. When West showed a void, South had to alter his plan of play. He could not bank on making four diamond tricks, with adverse freakish distribution having been indicated by West's void. He saw that he could afford to lose one trump trick and still make his contract, but' he must first unblock the spade suit for dummy's hand. Accordingly, he played the Ace of spades and then led the six of hearts, playing low from dummy. The play by South of the Ace of spades before a second round of trumps had conveyed definite information to East, who worked out the position thus: South had shown a void in spades, and the Ace of spades was a singleton. His distribution, therefore, was one spade, seven hearts, and five diamonds, the lastnamed suit containing two losers, otherwise there would be no necessity to establish spade winners in dummy. East refused to win the heart trick, playing the five on Souths six. thus preventing the establishment of the nine as the entry card necessary for the success of the contract. East gave up one j

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I trick, in order that his partner could later make two tricks in diamonds, in which suit he was marked with five cards, including two stoppers. South could now only play out his trumps and hope for the best in the matter of discards. West, however, was not em[barrassed by this play; he had counted Souths distribution and simply discarded everything but his five diamonds. It will be seen that South did not lose anything by his play of the hand, as it was quite possible that the diamond distribution was 5-4-2-2, in which case he would make his contract, even though his first line of play failed. Another interesting hand involving a ducking play, this time by the declarer, is as follows: — * A.5. y A.7.3.2. 9.5.2. . , " Jf, Q.J.5.6. * 9.3- s * Q.J-10. ! <£ K.Q.J.10. lVo' th- . I 8.4.2. 9.8.5.4. 1 § V • A X.6.3. „ y *> Q.J.7.4. |— '—boffliJ J 7 . 4 .3. 4 X.7.6. <£ 0. $ A.10.5. A.X.10.0.5.2. South dealer. Both sides vulnerable. The bidding: Souih. West. North. South. 1 «fc IV 3 * Fass 4 & 4 V 5 * Pass Pass Pass The King of hearts was led by West, dummy's Ace was played, and East ruffed. The contract was set one trick as South had to lose two diamond tricks, but it was possible to make the contract. South could see six honour-tricks and also five cards in the adverse heart suit between his own hand and dummy's. West's bid of four hearts must have been made on a very long suit, probably eight cards, as the Ace was showing in dummy. . If only seven cards, the Ace would "win the first trick, but .as a safety play South should have ducked the trick. He could control the next lead in any suit. After drawing the adverse trumps, the' Ace of hearts would provide the necessary discard for a losing diamond, and South would have made his contract and the rubber.

South could not possibly lose by this play, as even if the Ace of hearts won the first trick he must lose two diamond tricks, whereas, by ducking, he loses one heart trick, but only one diamond trick.

A pre-emptive overcall of four hearts over Souths one-club bid would have been West's best bid if he was prepared, when vulnerable, to go to four hearts.