Friday 4 September 2009
One of the more difficult roles in bridge can be that of dummy. Look at today’s deal from high-stake rubber bridge. North-South vulnerable, dealer North.
This was a good natural auction to a slam with excellent chances. West led a heart, and South won with his singleton ace. Following the excellent maxim “set up your side suit before drawing trumps” he began correctly with a spade to the ace, a spade to the king, and a low spade towards dummy. West discarded a heart on this trick and South ruffed with dummy’s queen of clubs. Declarer continued with a diamond to his king and a fourth round of spades.
On this trick, West made the spectacular discard of the king of hearts, South ruffed with dummy’s ace of clubs and led the four to his eight and West’s king. The defender exited with a diamond to dummy’s ace, and South faced the problem of how to return to his hand to draw trumps. Since it seemed that West had no more hearts. South considered it safe to lead a diamond – but this promoted a trump trick for West, and the slam was one down.
Now, consider your dilemma as North when your partner appeals to you for sympathy. “That was a brilliant defence, you must admit,” he says. “Surely I can’t be blamed for going wrong.” First of all, your sporting instincts should lead you to congratulate West on his far-sighted manoeuvres, and second, you must resist the impulse to observe that he should not have been given a chance to lead your partner up the garden path.
Of course, if South had cashed dummy’s ace of diamonds at the fifth trick before leading to his king at the sixth, West would not have had the opportunity to be brilliant – South could ruff his red-suit exit in hand and draw trumps before cashing the fifth spade for his 12th trick. The role of dummy is hard, but at least there aren’t many lines to learn – you need only master the words, “Bad luck, partner.”