Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph – 24 Feb 1954
You all know the kind of player who wants to play every hand. As your partner, he will bid one suit after another if he lacks support for your suit. And if he is lucky enough to have support for your suit, he will bid no trump. Dante forgot to mention this type, but you may be sure that there’s a special region being kept warm for him down below.
Almost as bad a partner, however, is the type that thrusts every problem on your shoulders.
Opening lead—
9
For example, North gave his partner a problem when he jumped to four hearts. This jump looks like an unselfish partner helping bid, but its really a way of passing the buck.
North can practically guarantee nine tricks at no trump opposite any sound vulnerable overcall that South may have, but he cannot guarantee ten tricks at hearts. West could have defeated the contract of four hearts if he had thought of opening a club, the defenders would have taken three clubs and a spade to begin with.
Rather naturally, West opened West opened a spade but South still had to play very carefully to make his contract. He put up dummy’s king and East took the ace of spades, East then returned a trump, and South had to find a way to avoid the loss of three club tricks. After some thought, South drew two rounds of trumps and the two top diamonds. He then cashed the king of spades, discarding a club and led the ten of spades from dummy.
East very properly play the Jack of spades on dummy’s ten, whereupon South discarded a second club.
This loser on loser play caught East in an end-play. If East led clubs, dummy’s king would win a trick, and South would lose only one of his two remaining clubs. If East led anything else, dummy would ruff while South discarded a third club, and then South would still have only one club loser.
Either way, South was sure to win ten tricks, making his contract.