SAFE FOR NINE TRICKS

West’s 2♥ was a weak two-bid. A 3♠ bid might have been more prudent than the jump to 4♠, which suggests a stronger trump suit. South preferred to gamble on partner having some spades than finishing in a minor-suit game. After the ♥A lead, West switches to the ♣5. You win with dummy’s ♣A, discard a club on the ♥K and lead the ♠4. East plays ♠5 and West, ♠2, as your King wins. The aim is to hold your trump losers to two. If the spades divide 3-3, it will not matter how you continue and if East began with ♠AJ10x, you are almost certainly doomed. If the spades are 4-2, a low spade next will succeed if an opponent holds ♠Ax, but with that holding West, would have captured your King, and East is highly unlikely to hold ♠AX, as West would hardly open a weak ♥2 when holding four spades. in addition, it is twice as likely that the doubleton holding would be ♠10X or ♠JX. south justified his jump to 4♠ by continuing with the ♠Q after the ♠K won. he thus pinned West’s ♠10 and restricted his trump losers to two. 

The universe has no restrictions; 

we place restrictions on the universe 

with our expectations!

Blog : www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID :@HemaDeora 

SAFE FOR NINE TRICKS

West led the ♣6, East put up his ♣K at trick one and South was quick to take his ♣A. He thought he was looking at 10 tricks on the run, and besides, the ♣J9 might prove to be of value later. 

South cashed the ♦A and ♦Q, expecting to run the suit, but disaster struck when West discarded. Now there was no way to keep East off lead and the club return through South’s ♣J9 cost South his game and rubber. 

Had South’s ♣J been a deuce, an effective hold up play would have been more obvious: Refuse the first two clubs, win the third and then start the diamonds. East gets a diamond as before, but this time he has no club to lead and South is safe for nine tricks! 

It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Blog : www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID :@HemaDeora 

A Ruff and A Sluff

Mumbai is getting hotter and hotter day by day, but Mumbaikars must not miss the city’s skyline with the flowers blooming on tree tops, peeking out from the concrete jungle, playing hide and seek. Truly a colourful sight! 

Sometimes one has to teach aggressive opponents a lesson – like by making a difficult contract! 

South has a spade loser, not to mention two possible heart losers. The opening lead presumably marks East with the ♠KQJ10 and that along with the ♣Q. Clearly places the ♥A with West. Now, south is in business. He won the ♠a, drew trumps, striped diamonds ending in his hand, and led a low heart to the ♥Q which West ducked. Now south exited with a spade, forcing a heart return or a ruff and a sluff! 

Don’t let worries get you down, play Bridge instead.

Blog : www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID :@HemaDeora 

South Was Home

Summer has set in with its usual severity. And this is just to keep you cool! 

What did the pig say at the beach on a hot summer’s day? 

‘I’m bacon!’ 

And you know what do frogs like to drink on a hot summer day? 

‘Croak-o-cola!’ 

After winning trick one in hand South was rather imaginative. It looked like he had no chance. When south would play a trump, East would win with the ♠A, shift to his singleton heart, receive a heart ruff and cash the ♣A. 

In order to make it look like it’s a singleton, South led the ♥8 from hand at trick two. West won with the ♥A and thought that south has the singleton, not East. West hoped his partner has the ♣AQ and shifted to that suit. And south was home!

Blog : www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID :@HemaDeora