CONTRACT BRIDGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23272, 15 February 1939, Page 7

CONTRACT BRIDGE

interesting slam hands locating the controls BT JO. L. EASTGATB playing rubber bridge during the we ek, the following hand was observed and is of sufficient interest to bear reproduction. containing as it does a cold grand slam in the East-West hands, after North-South have opened the bidding legitimately. These situations arise occasionally, and where a choice has to be made between doubling a high contract by the opponents or going to a problematical slam 011 your own hands. It is often a very fine point, but the present modern aids to slam bidding add a precision which was formerly missing. South dealer. . Neither side vulnerable.

pass Result. —Two down, 300 points to East-West.; Where Bidding Went Wrong It can be seen that a grand slam can be made by East-West against any opening lead, the club suit being set mr for any necessary discards. Where did the bidding go wrong? I think it was East's three-spado bid, which, strong as it was, fell a little bit short of the possibilities of the situation. Had he immediately set the spade suit by making an asking bid, either in clubs !or in the opponents' suits, the extra strength in his partner's hand would have been immediately disclosed. By a clarifying repeat asking bid he could have found out that there was no duplication of strength, and the grand slam could have been bid with a reasonable amount of certainty. Exploiting the Situation

While it is easy to he wise after the event, it is in such situations as these that the imaginative player will come to the top. East, it must be remembered. had a very favourable distribution, including three of the essentials to good slam bidding, namely, solid trump support, good control of the opponent's diamond suit, and an excellent side suit of his own, quite capable of being "set up with a little help. There is. perhaps, an unconscious disinclination to jump to slams when the opponents have actually opened the bidding, but it must be remembered that the defensive tricks thus shown ca.n quite easily be nullified by such a holding as East .held, plus some help from partner.

South is in a contract of six hearts end West leads the spade king; East plays the deuce, and West follows with the" ten of clubs. How should declarer play ? Solution.—Declarer should take the second lead with the ace of clubs and shciuld carefully consider his discard from dummy, for here is the crux of the hand. If he discards a spade be cannot make his contract. A diamond should be discarded and the ace of hearts played. This*- shows the bad trump break. The ace of diamonds is played,, followed by the ten. taken with the king in dummy. Another spade is led and ruffed with the king of hearts. Now the eight of trumps taken with the jack in- dummy and the last spade led and ruffed with the queen of hearts. The deuce of hearts is then led and the finesse taken through West. West's last trump is picked up and the blocking nine of diamonds discarded by the South hand. The North hand is now good. A dummy reversal.

CURRENT EVENTS

- Pritchard's Bridge Club will open the • season With the Mover Cup on Wednesday,! March I, continuing on the first 'Wednesday in each month. The Centennial Trophy, presented by Dr. Bruce Mackenzie, for pairs, will bo played on each third Wednesday in tho month. This is a very handsome trophy, and includes match-point, kickstart, cumulative, par-contract and slam tournament hamis, ail on a percentage basis. There will be afternoon , tournaments on second and fourth Fridays in addition.

South is in a contract of three no trumps, and West leads deuce of hearts, which were bid by East, hast fee the ace and returns the eight. Without 'seeing West's hand, how ttould you plan tho play, and why.