Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – 12 May 1950
Opening lead: Queen of clubs.
A safety play of a type not frequently encountered was resorted to in today’s hand culled from a recent tournament. The slam contract was reached with dispatch. The North hand in support of hearts was worth 16 points, bringing it within the range of a double raise, whose limits are 13 to 16.
South knew there were sufficient values on hand for slam purposes, but in order to allow for the possibility that North had two losing diamonds, he checked for aces. Note that his void of spades ruled out a four no trump bid and required he resort to direct ace showing.
When North showed the ace of diamonds, he was assured of safety. South was anxious, if possible, to make an overtrick on his slam contract, but his eagerness to attain the maximum did not prevent him from taking full precaution for the safety of the contract itself. This he did in a neat manner.
The queen of clubs was opened and declarer saw that the contract was clinched but for the remote possibility of losing two diamond tricks. Against such a contingency, he set out to protect himself. He won in dummy and led the king of spades, hoping to coax the ace, but when it failed to appear he ruffed. A trump was led to the dummy and another spade was ruffed. He returned to dummy by pulling the last trump and then followed with the ace and another club, which ‘dummy trumped. The last spade was then ruffed in the closed hand and the black suits were completely eliminated with one trump left in each hand.
There was now a chance for a grand slam if both missing diamond honors could be picked up. The queen of diamonds was therefore led. If West covered, declarer intended to win, and finesse the nine on the way back. This is commonly known as the “coming and going” finesse. If on the second diamond East showed out, declarer intended to duck the trick and West would be in with no safe lead to make. However, West did not cover, and the queen held the trick, East following suit with the eight.
The jack of diamonds came next and this time West covered. There was a slight temptation to go up with the ace in the hope that the 10 would fall from East and all the tricks could be claimed. But the instinct for self preservation made itself felt and South played low from dummy, permitting West to win the trick. East failed to follow, and there was no safe lead West could make. Had declarer greedily reached for the ace of diamonds, West would have won two tricks with the 10 and seven.
