TRUMP PROMOTION

Nowadays rising up from bed early morning is helped by melodious sweet calls from Koyal, The Nightingale of India, and symbol of sweet song. This call is supposed to foreshadow rain. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

This is one of my favorite hands by Michael Lawrence. South opens 1NT, 15-17 points, and North uses Stayman to reach 4♠.

East knows by counting the visible high-card points that West has two, three or four points. The ♥2 lead suggests something in hearts, which can only be the King. Assuming West has the ♥K; there is a defense that may set 4♠.

At trick one, East plays the ♥9, not the ♥A. South wins in his hand and finesses the ªQ. East takes this and now continues the ♥A and another heart. West takes his ♥K, which gets East-West to the crucial moment. If West is wise enough to lead another heart, East’s ♠10 is promoted to the setting trick.

The trees happily dancing

The cuckoo is singing

Indicating that rains are near

Giving us joy when it strikes

our ears!

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Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

MASTER PLAY

A friend in need is a friend indeed! Just when I was scratching my brain to get my grey cells activated to produce an interesting deal to my readers this week, our dear friend Deepak Parekh sent me this simple, prosaic and breathtakingly beautiful hand on master play!

West led the ♠9; South took the ♠A in dummy. Due to defender’s foresight, this cold contract went down. When declarer led a diamond at trick two, he inserted the ♦J from

hand. West won the trick with ♦A and led a second spade. South won the ♠K. Now, “knowing” that the diamond finesse was right, declarer led a second diamond to finesse East for the ♦Q. When East showed out, South was shocked — andwas unable to get back to dummy to take the club finesse.

West realized that the diamond lay badly for declarer, but any other finesse from dummy should succeed, so he hid the trump queen and persuaded South to take the wrong finesse. Beautiful indeed!

Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they're always there!

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Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

Save The Game

Over this weekend, there is Nandu Oke memorial Bridge Tournament at the newly decorated venue, Lokmanya Seva Sangh at Parle. Nandu Oke was one of the ardent bridge players, apparently passed away just a few years ago at the bridge table while holding his cards.

May his soul rest in peace.

Today’s hand sets off a study how South can save the game! West led the ♦Q and continued with the ♦J. South ruffed the second diamond and played his ♥K. It was reasonable for South to play the first round of trumps. Now South should cash his high clubs and ruff a club in dummy. He should enter his hand via the ♠K and ruff his last club, and now it's a safe to lead that second round of trumps. West would take this, of course, but he now has no effective options. West would punch South with another diamond, but South ruffs comfortably, draws the last trump and claims his ten tricks.

Drawing trumps is generally a matter of high priority.

Choose your priorities in life, and nothing can ever knock you out!

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Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

Sheer Luck

Of all the special joys in life, The big ones and the small, A mother’s love and tenderness Is the greatest of them all. In the above deal at the rubber bridge game South was the declarer in 3NT. North was a modest underbidder and South was the kind of player whose sheer blind luck cancelled out his inept play.

West led ♠K. South spent two minutes counting his winners and another two minutes recounting them. Amazingly the total came to nine both times, so he began to plan for a glorious overtrick. “He’ll go down for sure,’ thought the West, who was watching. As he realized that the clubs are

going to be blocked.

South took the first trick with the ♠A and immediately played the ♠J. It never occurred to him that West might have led from a sixcard suit. The west reeled off four spade winners, and South discarded from his hand two hearts and, after pulling out the ♥10 and pushing it back again, a club!

“Did I make an overtrick?” asked the South.

“No,” replied the North, "But you made your contract.” “With sheer luck,” he added under his breath. Accidentally, but actually South made an unblocking play.

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers!!

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An Extra Chance

Today is the Labour Day. Let’s celebrate the labour that built up this great land From field to field, desk to desk, they built it hand in hand!

South got to a cold looking 3NT and received the lead of the ♥5. East signaled that he liked hearts. Winning the ♥K, South led to his ♠Q only to find that West was void. In order to improve his chances of getting nine tricks, he must win the heart and take a diamond finesse. This looses and the defenders continue hearts, forcing out South’s last stopper. Now is the time to try the spades. When they don’t work, South cashes his four spade winners and leads another diamond from dummy. When East’s ♦K come up, South has his nine tricks.

If today is Labour Day, how many babies were born?

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Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora