Bromides and rules of thumb are good starting points when playing the hand. However, these quick fixes do not replace knowledge, logic and good execution. Try this hand at 4 ♠.
« The bidding:
S
1 ♠
4 ♠
W
Pass
Pass
N
2 ♠
Pass
E
Pass
Pass
« Opening lead: ♣ Jack
NORTH
♠ 6 4 3
♥ 5
♦ A 9 7 4 3
♣ Q 7 5 4
WEST
♠ 9 7
♥ Q 10 8 4
♦ J 8 6 2
♣ J 10 9
EAST
♠ K J 8
♥ 9 7 6 3 2
♦ 10 5
♣ A K 6
SOUTH
♠ A Q 10 5 2
♥ A K J
♦ K Q
♣ 8 3 2
the play
1. West led the ♣ Jack, Dummy the 4, East the 6 and Declarer the 2.
2. ♣ 10, Dummy the 5, East the King and Declarer the 3.
3. East cashed the ♣ Ace and switched to ♥ 7.
4. Declarer won the ♥ King.
5. South, knowing they needed the rest of the tricks, led the ♦ Queen, overtaking with Dummy’s Ace.
6. Declarer played Dummy’s ♠ 3, East the 8, Declarer the Queen and West the 7.
7. Even though the Queen won, Declarer had to lose a trump trick to the KJ, down one.
8. Leading to the ♠ Queen gave Declarer a zero percent chance of avoiding a trump loser.
9. What should have happened: Needing to find East with both the trump King and Jack, Declarer
should have led to his ♠ 10.
10. When the 10 holds, Declarer then trumps his ♥ Jack in Dummy.
11. Declarer leads Dummy’s last trump to East’s Jack and his Queen.
12. The ♠ Ace is now played, picking up East’s King and making the game.
Note : A lucky chance is better than no chance. Remember to finesse first against the lower of the two missing honors.
tip of the day
Q| When finessing to the AQ10 or KJ10, what is the right card to play?
A| Always finesse against the outstanding lower card. In other words, with the KJ10, lead toward the holding and play the 10, hoping to find the Queen in front of the KJ10. With AQ10, lead to the 10, again finessing for the lower card, the Jack.
Do you have a good bridge tip? Email kennethmbland@yahoo.com.
