CONTRACT BRIDGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22389, 8 April 1936, Page 23

CONTRACT BRIDGE

THE WORLD OLYMPIC i I FINAL HANDS BY FINESSE In the Olympic contests there is genferally an unusual hand of the freak / r p e> and this year's occurred in hand ]So. 14. The bidding, of course, covers a nide range, but the simplicity of the "par" no doubt deceived many competitors. As the official explanation states, it is impossible to give "correct" bidding on this hand, as it varies in accordance with the psychology of the moment, and the players' estimates of their partners and opponents. Hand No. 14: An Unusual Freak JJ-S par: Bid up to 7 clubs and make' 50 further bid. E-W par: Bid up to 7 diamonds and pake no further bid. East dealer. Neither side vulnerable.

It is obvious that neither side is fctrong enough in its best major suit to withstand the necessity for ruffing leads of the other major suit. The bidding will no doubt disclose the uneven distribution and thereafter both sides should be wary of sacrificing or bidding B slam in a,- suit in which it is not safe. Seven diamonds, if the diamond suit is originally bid by West, can be defeated by an opening lead of a heart, ruffed by South. Hand No. IS: Stopping Short of a Game North, dealer. Both sides vulnerable. . • _ N-S par: Opponents held to eight tricks at hearts. E-W par: No more than three hearts bid, and at least 8 tricks made.

East's jump rebid in hearts is the text thing to a forcing bid, but with nothing in his hand but his minimum take-out is content to pass. ' The proper defensive-play is fairly easy to locate,- and therefore should be made even against a part-score contract. South opens the diamond king. North dropping the queen —a command to lead a Ipw diamond immediately. This enables North to get in and to lead a heart: South could not lead trumps without sacrificing a trick, but xrhen North leads a heart it prevents East from ruffing a losing club, and he eventually loses two diamonds, two plubs and one heart. Hand No. 15: Shortening the Long Trump Suit f E-W par: 6 diamonds bid and made. South dealer. N-S vulnerable.

' East can hardly stay out of a 6lam after Wcst'fe bid and raise, but the fcad division of the trumps makes careful play essential. South opens the spade queen. East wins and lays down the diamond king as a precautionary measure in case South has all four diamonds. Discovering this to be true East leads a heart, which North wins. North returns a spade, and after taking the ace East leads a diamond, South plays the ten and West the queen. East then ruffs a heart and takes another diamond finesse. He then ruffs a heart / with his last trump. Dummy is put in with the clu£) ace, to cash the ace of diamonds, on which East throws his losing poade. East's clubs then win the last tricks. Hand No./16: An Unusual Discard East-West par: Bidding a part-score contract at hearts and making it. West dealer. East-West vulnerable.

Normally will find the hand Worth two bids, not vulnerable, which will force West to a contract of three hearts. This can be made only by an Unusual play. North opens the diamond king which West " wins. There being no entry to dummy which will permit a heart finesse to be made, West forces entry by conceding two diamond tricks, on the second of which he discards a club from dummy. If West had tried to ruff the third diamond, South could overruff; but nothing can prevent West from entering dummy by ruffing a third round of clubs, after which he can finesse for the heart king, losing only four tricks.