The Game of Bridge

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 107, 1 November 1941, Page 15

The Game of Bridge

(By "Approach Bid.")

TWO FURTHER 1941 OLYMPIC HANDS

North-South par: Make 4 spades. West dealer. East-West vulnerable. 4t 9.8.7.4.3. V 6.3. + 3.7.5. * A.X.3. M A.X.9.8. - £ V Q-J-10----4 Q. 10.4. .. | h ♦ 9-6.3. A Q.J.9.5.6.4. -^ Sgujfe_ J Jf, 10.7.2. A.K.Q.J. y ,7.5:4.2. + A.X.8.2. The bidding (directed): West. North. : East. South. 1 j^ pass pass dble. pass 1 £ -P-af s 3 ♦ pjtss 4 A JP?ss pass pasa ' Official analysis: "The defence leads three rounds of hearts, and North is in! with a ruff of the third. He' takes a round -of trumps; and .discovers the bad news. Now there are only nine tricks in sight, and all plans to ruff in the South "hand .threaten' to set up a trurrip trick for East. "Declarer cashes the top diamonds, hoping the Queen will drop. When it doesn't, the only chance is " for a "smother' play. North cashes the top clubs, discarding dummy's last heart, and then the low club is ruffed in the South hand. This play, to be sure, establishes a potential trump trick in the East hand. But then the dummy leads a diamond, and the cards turn out to be right for the 'smother' play —so East's trumps are picked up without loss. "Whatever West leads, North will ruff with the nine of spades. If East covers with the ten, dummy over-ruffs and wins. The declarer has enough top trumps. But if East refuses to over-ruff the spade nine, he has to discard a lower trump. South then discards the last diamond, and dummy has only top trumps left." North-South par: Make 4 hearts. West dealer. Both sides vulnerable. I 4 10.9.8.2. • I " yJ. 9.8.7. % + 5.2. 4 A.9.2. * 5.4. SfoFtET-V K.Q.7.6.3. * A.2. « d V 4. A.Q.J.6.4. I «! ♦ 10.9.8. £, Q.J.10.4. I South. { 8.7.5.3. 4k A.J. . . 9 K.Q.10.6.5.3. 4. K.T.3. Directed bidding: West. North. East. South. l^ pass 14 2f pass ' 3 9 Pass V pass . pass pass West must open the Queen of clubs. Official analysis: "South sees a loser in spades, another in trumps, and probably, two in diamonds, since West has bid the suit originally. The only chance is to develop spade tricks in dummy, on which to discard two diamonds. But East must be shut out while the spades are set up, since otherwise a diamond lead by East would effect a quick defeat.

"South must win the first trick, and lead a low trump. Regardless of defence, South can lead a spade from dummy, and kill one of East's honours with the spade Ace; cash the club Ace; and discard the spade Jack on a third round of clubs, won by West. Then dummy still has two entries, enough to lead the spade sequence through East and get back to cash two' spade tricks. South thus gets two diamond discards and loses only one trump, one diamond, and one club."

If West makes the normal opening lead of a spade (his partner's bid suit) instead of the directed lead of the Queen of clubs, South can still make his contract—if he can get rid of his Jack of spades before he loses the lead. At the second trick he leads the King of clubs and follows with a small club to dummy's Ace. On a third round of clubs he discards his Jack of spades, a loser in any case, and now East cannot obtain a lead to put a diamond through South. South can later discard two losing diamonds after establishing the two spade winners in dummy.