Turn Your Attention

The jump rebid to 3NT shows a long, usually solid minor, and can be made with a singleton, possibly a void, in partner’s suit.

Although it is unlikely that East will switch to a club, you should not take any chances. Win the first heart.

At trick two, play a high diamond. If West shows out, unblock the ♦8 or ♦9 from dummy. Now lead a low spade to dummy’s King and play ♦9, which East covers. No problem. Win the diamond, overtake your ♠Q with the Ace and lead a third diamond to your ♦7. What seemed like a hand where umpteen zillion overtricks would be rolling in, turns out to be a squeaker where you have to settle for nine. If West turns up with four diamonds, give up on that suit and turn your attention to spades. If spades are 3 - 3, you still have nine tricks: five spades, three diamonds and the ♥A.

Everybody wants happiness, nobody wants pain, but you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain!

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A Reasonable Hope

A guest from Delhi requested to organise a game of rubber bridge in a comfortable setting, so he can sip his ice-tea and play at leisure.

The guest, whose white crewcut hair contrasted starkly with his sun-tanned face, was the declarer. East won the ♥A and returned the ♥9 to his ♥K. The guest could count on four clubs, two spades plus the ♥K for seven quick winners. How does he bring two more without relinquishing the lead.

A club to dummy and a spade to South’s ♠10 wins an easy finesse but that doesn’t get the job done. South gets three spade tricks, just enough to total down one. When South tries to develop a diamond, the defense is ready to beat the game.

The guest from Delhi had only hope to find a singleton ♠8 or ♠9 in the West’s hand — a reasonable hope. After winning his ♥K, he crossed to dummy in club to lead the ♠J. East covered with the ♠Q and South won with the ♠A dropping West's singleton ♠9. Another club led to dummy, and a low spade was led to South’s ♠7 to win the trick. The ♠10 was cashed, and now the guest claim his game and rubber, with his whiskers still turned up like scorpion’s tail.

Man is a victim of dope in the incurable form of hope.

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Risk the loss of the trump

The rains are new enough to still carry the smell of the wet Earth. The trees have had their first proper wash in months and look glorious in their fresh green colours.

Should South ever have to risk the loss of a trump trick with today’s solid holding? Not every day, to be sure, only on those days when there is something greater to gain.

In most games, South wins his ♥A and plays the King and Ace of trumps. A diamond is led and South’s ♦10 goes to West’s Ace. West cashes a heart, leads another heart to force South to ruff, and it’s all over. When East’s ♦Q fails to drop under South’s King, the defenders score a total of one heart, two diamonds and one club, down one.

After winning his heart Ace, South should lead a trump to dummy’s ♠8, finessing against West’s ♠9. When this wins, South finesses against East’s ♦Q. Later, he returns to dummy with the trump Ace, and the repeated diamond finesse earns him ten tricks.

Many will go down only one with today’s cards. Only those with a touch of class will risk down two.

Some people feel the rain, others just get wet!

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Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

SOME SOLACE

Hope the scorching days of summer will end soon. Though you see only a faint cluster of fleecy clouds and not the rain-bearing galleons.

West leads the ♠K, which is allowed to hold. South has to win the second spade.

Duplicate players will surely try for a no-trump game with today’s North-South cards. Nine tricks at no-trump will equal the score of a minor-suit game; an overtrick will yield a fine score. Note that 5♦ makes on almost any lie of the cards.

After winning the second spade South could count only eight tricks without the diamonds.

South risks going down two instead of one in return for success with his vulnerable game.

At trick three, South leads a heart to dummy’s ♥J making a silent wish for the finesse to win. When the ♥J holds, he unblocks dummy’s ♥A and returns to his ♣A to cash the ♥K. Finally he overtakes his ♣J in dummy, and dummy’s clubs provide the game going tricks. ‘The kind of solace that arises from having company in misery is spiteful’.

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PSYCHIC LIGHTNER DOUBLE

West’s overcall of two notrumps was as ‘unusual’, indicating a major two-suiter. South’s response of 5♠ to North’s enquiry of four notrumps showed two key cards with the trump Queen, 7♦ therefore seemed a sound proposition, but when West produced his Lightner double South decided that 7 notrumps might prove a safer spot.

West led the ♥K, South took it with his ♥A and could count just eleven tricks, and he needed to develop two more. Since West with his Lightner double announced his ability to ruff a club, the two extra tricks could come from clubs.

Alternatively, South could be content to develop one extra club trick and rely on a double squeeze for the thirteenth trick. The latter is by far the better method and has a special appeal for those with suspicious minds.

After winning the ♥A South should cash the ♣A, unblocking

the ♣8 from table when West shows out as expected. The ♦Q is followed by a diamond to dummy’s ♦J, and ♣10 is led to force a cover from East (not that it matters if he refuses to cover). South captures the ♣J with the ♣Q and run the rest of diamonds. On the play of last diamond East will have to come down to a singleton spade in order to keep three clubs. South can then discard a club from hand on the last diamond, finesse the ♣7 and cash the ♣K to squeeze West in the majors.

Why not avoid all this fancy work by running the ♣10 on the first round, A glance at the complete deal provides the answer.

West’s psychic Lightner double was a brilliant attempt to lead South astray. But in this particular case there is no need to allow West to shine at South’s expense.

Q: Why do blondes smile when there’s lightning?

A: They think they’re getting their picture taken.

Blog          : http://www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora