Your Best Chance

And now, spring is in the air! Spring is the season of flowers and scented breeze (impossible in Mumbai), which gladdens the hearts! 

The bidding marks West with at least 5-5 in the minors and it is a pretty safe bet that the ♣A is with West. Therefore you have a potential spade loser and three club losers. 

Your best chance is to use the spades to discard losing clubs. You cannot afford to play spades before trumps are drawn, as there is some risk that West, with a freak twosuiter in the minor is void in spades. If you take the ♦A and draw trumps, you cannot come to more than two tricks in spades. 

The successful line is most elegant, first, let the ♦K win. When West continues diamonds (best), play low again from dummy and ruff in hand. Then draw trumps via ♥K and a heart to dummy, followed by the ♠Q, East will play low and the ♠Q wins. Now play the ♦A and discard the ♠A. 

Next comes the ♠J and you ruff when East plays the King. A trump to dummy then allows you to cash the remaining spade winners on which you discard clubs. You lose just one diamond and one club and score seven hearts, three spades and one diamond.

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Then There Were Nine!!

In above deal West led ♣7 and when dummy’s ten held the trick the first hurdle was overcome – there were now seven to tricks.  A diamond to the King allowed the declarer to lead a low spade and play the King – and then there were eight! Returning to hand with the ♣K south cashed the  ♦Q and  ♦A.  The ♠9 was led and West had to overtake his partner’s Jack to avoid the endplay in hearts.  The  ♣Q returned.

By now South was almost certain that West had a 4-1-3-5 shape. So he won the  ♣A, cashed the  ♥A and exited with  ♣5 and then there were nine!!

West won but he had to concede the last trick with the  ♠6 to declarer’s ♠10.

I once bid a tightener double,

And my partner went into a huddle,

He found the wrong lead,

So the slam did succeed,

And a bottom I got for My Trouble!!

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Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

The Winning Line

Today is Holi, known to the world as the festival of colours. It’s one of the major festivals of India and is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day.  It marks the arrival of spring, a season of hope and joy. 

‘Apro’ Dara has given this deal as a real brain teaser. So get your grey cells activated. And spot the winning line! 

West led ♥3, which South won with the ♥Q. He then cashed the ♣AK and led ♦2 for the finesse. East won ♦K and returned a heart to South’s ♥A. Now, South couldn’t produce an extra club trick as West would win the ♣Q and cash the rest of the heart tricks. 

The winning line is after cashing the ♣AK, he should play a diamond to the ace. Now, declarer can lead the ♣J and, when it comes to a discard from his hand, he should throw ♥A! This frees everything up. If West continues with hearts, dummy wins the third round and two club winners can be cashed; if West switches to spades, there is time to lose a diamond to ♦K and still return to dummy with a winning diamond. This way, nothing can stop South from making two spades, two hearts, ♦A and four club tricks. 

Let the colours of Holi spread the message of peace and happiness.

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Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

Some you win. Some you lose

In a team game West led ♣A and East played the ♣9 so West knows East doesn’t have the ♣Q. West guesses to shift to a heart and this lead allowed South to take the rest of tricks. Twelve tricks. 

When South compared with his teammates, he found that they defeated 3NT, doubled to boot. 

The bidding was different at the other table. South was playing weak no-trumps and was obliged to open with 1♣. North bid 2NT and South continued to game. West doubled to tell East to lead a club (dummy’s first bid suit).East did just that by leading the ♣9 and West took the first five tricks for down one! 

Bridge is a game of skill, but it is also a game of luck. As the expression goes, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose! 

Life’s a game, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But no matter what your cards in life, whether club, spade or diamond, always remember – never play without a heart!

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Twitter ID    : @HemaDeora