THE BRIDGE TABLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20722, 15 November 1930, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE BRIDGE TABLE.

PROBLEMS FOR DECLARER. BY MAJOR TENACE. The following problem illustrates another recognised play, though it is not dignified by the name of a "coup":—

Z is making a spade contract, arid A leads ace, king and queen of hearts. Z ruffs the third round, and leads ace and kin" of spades. Both opponents follow suit 3 to tho first trick, biit B discards on the second. ]low should X continue. The first problem last week was as follows :

At love score Z bids one no-trump, and all pass. A leads the five of spades; Y plays the four; B, the king; and Z, the ace. How should Z continue, and why ? Solution : Z must try to prevent B from getting in to load spades through his jack or clubs through his king. His play, therefore, should be to put dummy in witli a heart, and lead the ton of diamonds, ducking the trick in his own hand unless B covers. The play will fail if B has both king and queen of diamonds. And if A has one of these cards and B holds the ace of clubs, A can defeat the play by winning the first diamond trick, and leading a club to his partner's ace for a spade return. Z, however, cannot control either the distribution of the cards or the opponents' tactics. Ho must, therefore, hope that the king and the queen of diamonds are divided, and that, if B has the ace of clubs, A will continue spades instead of switching to this suit after making his diamonds. If A does this, of course, Z simply puts dummy in again, repeats the diamond finesse, and makes game with two tricks in spades, four in hearts, and three in diamonds. The second problem last week was as fnllnws *

Against Z's spade Contract at love score A leads the king of-hearts. How should Z plan his play, and why? Forecast the probable result. Solution: If Z ducks the king of hearts and A continues the suit, Z will make both ace and jack, but he still stands lo lose two tricks in clubs, besides his loss in hearts, and unless he can catch the king of trumps game will be gone. If he is to catch the king he will probably have to finesse twice, and he has only one apparent entry in dummy*—the queen of diamonds. To make another lie should drop his jack of hearts under A's king. If A now leads the queen of hearts, Z will kill it with his ace, and dummy's ten will be good; if A leads a low heart, hoping to force Z, Z must put up dummy s ten to hold the trick and take his first trump finesse. If A switches, Z's play goes for nothing, but he will have the satisfaction of having tried. The probable resiilt, if B holds the king of spades and A continues hearts, is game.