THE BRIDGE TABLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20656, 30 August 1930, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE BRIDGE TABLE.

B7 MAJOR TENACE.

SOME MORE PROBLEMS.;

Before answering last, week's problems I will set, another which my readers can solve during tho coming week. At love score Z bids one spade and all pass. A leads the queen of diamonds and when dummy's hand goes down Z can see the following lay-out:—

The play to the first three tricks is as follows, winning cards being starred: — TRICKS. * SCORE. AY B Z YZ AB 1. DQ D 3 Dr. DK * 10 2. SlO S3 SI SA * 2 0 3. C2 SO S8 SK * 3 0 How should Z continue and why ? Forecast the result. The first problem last week was as follows: —At love score Z deals and bids one no-trump, and all pass. A leads the two of spades, and the hands of declarer and dummy are as follows:

How should Z plan the play of the hand and why ? Solution: —Z's best chance of game lies in a successful club finesse and he must try to make good an entry in dummy to take it. The only possible suit in which dummy can get in is spades. If B holds both ace and king, dummy cannot make a trick in spades; but if the ace and king are both with A or divided between the opponents, Z can make a spado trick g«od in dummy's hand (provided the opponents lead a third round) by playing dummy's ten to the first trick. If B plays low dummy will be in to lead the ten of clubs. If B covers, Z must throw his queen in order to make dummy's jack good for the second or the third round of the suit.

I regret that a slip of my pen spoilt the second problem I set last week. Quite obviously if A holds ace-king of spades, no problem can exist after the sixth trick is turned. Since correction of the error points unerringly to the correct solution I refrain from resetting the problem, and postponing the solution till next week. I therefore set out the problem in its correct form below and append the solution. At love score, A bids one spade; Y and B, no bid; Z, one no-trump; and all pass. The hands of A and Y (dummy), are as follows: —■

The play is as follows, winning cards being starred: — TRICKS. SCOEE. A Y B Z Ysi AB 1. S5 SQ * 84 S3 1 0 2. C2 C 5 C 3 CJ * 2 0 3. C(i C 7 CQ CK * 3 0 4. CIO C 8 S8 CA * 4 0 5. H 7 S6 H 5 C 9 * 5 0 6. HJ H3H6 C 4* 6 0 At trick 7, Z leads the ace of diamonds. How should A play and why ?' The deductions to be drawn from bidding and play are as follows: —Z overcalled A's one spado with no-trumps, therefore, Z has a guard in spades in addition to dummy's queen, and this guard can only be the king. B has played frorr; low to high in spades, therefore he held fewer than four originally. Moreover, he discarded one spade early, and as he would hardly throw the last card of his partner's suit so lightW, he must hold one more; therefore he held three originally and Z has king and another.

A must take into account the possibility that Z holds the ace of hearts. If he makes the king of spades in addition to this card and the ace of diamonds he will get game. A's object, therefore, should be to put B in to lead the second round of spades through Z's guarded king. If A plays low on the ace of diamonds he will probably be stuck in the load with a diamond on the next round, and after making his king and queen he will be forced to lead away from his spade tenace. His play, therefore, should be to assume that B holds the jack of diamonds, throw either king or queen under the ace and leave his partner to win the second trick with the jack which he presumably holds.