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Regular readers of The Bridge Beat may remember a theme we broached a few weeks ago -
the idea of trading one loser for another in order to advance the play to a
favourable conclusion.
Both sides vulnerable
South deals
| |
K 8 5 4 3
9 4
9 5 4
8 5 4 |
| |
A Q 9 7 6
K 8 5
K 10
A J 6 |
|
West |
North |
East |
South |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
3(1) |
3 |
Pass |
4 |
|
Pass |
Pass |
Doblo |
Pass |
|
Pass |
Pass |
|
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(1) Weak jump overcall
Opening Lead:
J
West, whose idea of obstructive tactics did not seem to include an
appreciation of the institution of vulnerability led the
J
against South's 4.
East won the
A
and switched to
10.
Take it from here, declarer wanna-be's.
At the table declarer won the
A,
drew trumps with the ace and king, and led a diamond towards her hand. East won
the
A
and returned a heart, but declarer had spotted a small chance much earlier and
was now headed for the home stretch.
She won the
K,
cashed the
K,
and ruffed a heart. Then she played dummy's third diamond. East had to cover and
declarer discarded a club, refusing to ruff. East, out of black cards (West's
weak jump overcall in clubs had revealed the lie of that suit), had to play one
of the red suits. Declarer, who had none of those in either hand, discarded her
last club and ruffed in dummy. The forced ruff-and-discard, brought about by
trading a club loser for a diamond loser, had allowed declarer to make a
contract that seemed doomed to defeat at the third trick.
Declarer was Australian, Kylie Robb who was 15 years old at the time.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that a declarer from Down Under would find
a variation on an upside down line of play. Did you find Kylie's line?
The four
hands were:
| |
K 8 5 4 3
9 4
9 5 4
8 5 4 |
J 2
J 10 7
8 7
K
Q 9 7 3 2 |
 |
10
A Q 6 3 2
A Q J 6 3 2
10 |
| |
A Q 9 7 6
K 8 5
K 10
A J 6 |
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