Imagination required

My favourite type of declarer-play strategy is imagination. The everyday affairs of figuring out the odds or ruffing losers or guessing a Queen can be satisfying, but using imagination is fun. For example, look at today's hand. After some competitive bidding, South landed in 4♥ and West led the deuce of diamonds. Before calling ♦8 in dummy, South exhibited a good declarer trait by planning his play. He called for the ♦8 and East played the ♦King, South played the ♦3. South counted eight sure tricks (six trumps, the ace of diamonds and one diamond ruff) plus one club trick, if guessed that suit right. He needed another trick for his contract, and only possibility he could see was the ♦J. Somehow he needed to score that card. So that's when he got the idea of making it look to West like East held the ♦Ace-King.

When East won the ♦K at trick one, he returned a trump. South won and ruffed the 6 of diamonds in dummy, then led a spade to ♠8, won by West with the ♠9. West didn't give it a second thought: He returned another diamond, thinking his partner has the ♦A. But declarer scooped up the trick with the ♦J, drew trumps and led a club to the ♣J to set up his 10th trick.

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A Brilliant Coup

'Apro' Dara, as usual, has given this brilliant defense hand for us to enjoy and improve!

North-South settled for the small slam. West led §Q. This hand is a duplication —the shape of dummy and declarer's hand is identical, which is bad news, leaving South to worry about both a heart and a club loser. South won §A, drew trumps, cashed ¨AK and§K, and exited with his third club. If West leads a diamond, declarer can ruff in dummy and discard ©4 from hand; if West leads a low heart, dummy's ©8 forces East's ©Q, won by declarer’s ©A, and now the heart finesse through West to dummy's ©10 holds the trick and 6ª is made. A fine elimination endplay. But what defense would scupper this plan?

If West imagines the scenario, he can avoid dummy's ©8 being such importance and break up the end position with one play: he rejects the lead of a low heart and instead plays ©J! Now, whatever South does, he must lose a heart trick — a brilliant coup!

There once was a lady named Bess,

Who made up excuses

To lead up to’deuces,

 And lost without having to guess.

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You need Courage

Independence Day was observed yesterday, commemorating the nation's independence from the British Empire on the August 15, 1947. This day is observed throughout India. Sitting East, you listen while your opponents ignore your good hand in their rush to 4ª. West leads the ♦8. You have the agreement that you lead low from three little cards so you know West has one or two diamonds. Let's say you play the ♦10 losing to declarers King. South plays three rounds of spades ending in dummy and call for the ©2. This hand came up during the North American Bridge Championships in New Orleans. East saw that West had maximum of 2 points and might have none at all. East decided to play low on the heart lead. It would cost a trick if South had four hearts to the Queen-Jack, but it wins if West is able to win the heart trick and return a diamond. Declarer played ©10, West won, and the diamond return did lead to down one. It took a lot of courage for East to play low smoothly. Nothing is more precious than independence and liberty!

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More Prudent Course

Today is the anniversary of the Quit India Movement, a civil disobedience movement launched on August 9,1942 by Mahatma Gandhi at Gowalia Tank Maidan for freedom from the British rule.

Above deal was handled by South in a clever way. The lack of dummy entries dictated a more prudent course in order to attack diamond suit. West led the ©8. South won ©J and led a low diamond, west playing the ♦10. If declarer would cover with dummy's Queen the game was lost. East would refuse the trick and the diamond suit would yield only one trick. South would exit from dummy with a heart, finessing his Queen, and lead another low diamond. East winning as cheaply as possible. East would knockout South's last heart stopper and South's maximum take would be now eight tricks. Because dummy's ªA was the only sure outside entry, the key lies in setting up a diamond as a second entry. To do so, South cleverly ducked the first diamond lead completely. The heart return went to South's Queen and South played a second diamond to dummy's queen to establish the suit. South was now in position to win at least ten tricks.

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Only Real Shot

Yesterday was the Swiss National Day. My friend who lives on the 21st floor of her building invited me for the celebrations, where Swiss cuisine was served. The cheese fondue, a mash of leeks and  potatoes, thinly grated potatoes, Rosti, biscuits with hazelnuts, yummy Swiss roll cookies with cream cake, caramel Swiss meringues were to simply to die for! One couldn't miss the colourful flower bouquets that were placed all over to give the venue a festive, Swiss country look!

Martin Hoffman was South in above deal. Martin Hoffman was a bridge writer. East won the ♣A and returned a club, which was ruffed by South. Now what?

Hoffman took his only real shot — he played four rounds of spades whether West ruffs the fourth spade is immaterial (If West ruffs, dummy over ruffs). After the four spades, Hoffman led a heart. East was stuck in with the bare Ace and had to either cash the ♦A or give Martin a ruff and a sluff. Either way Hoffman loses only one diamond trick.

We build too many walls and not enough bridges!

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RARE ONE-SUIT SQUEEZE

The bidding was over in just two rounds and South brilliantly brought home the contract without difficulty. It may appear as if 6NT has two certain losers,  but watch how the play unfolded.

The opening lead was the ©9. Placing the unseen cards perfectly, declarer won in hand with the ©A. He recognized that the ©K would have a crucial role to play later on. South then cashed four rounds of clubs and two diamond tricks to bring this position, with the lead in dummy.

North- ª63 -- ©K6 ¨AQ§--- East-ª95 --©QJ ¨76§---- 

South -ªAQ8©54 ¨2 §-- West - ª KJ102 ©87♦ -- §----

When declarer cashed the ♦A, West gave up a heart, South then took dummy's ©K and ♦Q, and West found himself the victim of the rare one-suit squeeze. If he released his ª2, he would be vulnerable to a routine throw-in. Consequently he let go the ª10 in the dubious hope that South would misread the position.

Declarer made no such error.  East made a valiant attempt by covering dummy’s spade lead with the ª9, but South inserted the ªQ, losing to West’s ªK.  Trick 12 comprised the ª8 and the game!

Six NT would fail if the declarer makes the fatal error of winning the opening heart lead with the ©K.

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