If you are about to compete in a bridge tournament or for money, it would be a good idea for you and your partner to practice on a couple of deals just before start time.
It is easy for declarer to be careless near the beginning of this deal. How should South play in three no-trump after West leads a fourth-highest club six to the 10 and jack?
North’s three-club rebid was New Minor Forcing. He was hoping his partner could show three-card heart support. However, when South indicated only a doubleton heart, North signed off in three no-trump.
South starts with eight top tricks: three spades, one heart, three diamonds and one club (at trick one). He can get the extra winner from either red suit – but which should he attack first?
Most players would realize that taking the heart finesse is too dangerous. If it loses, East will return a club through South’s king and into the jaws of West’s ace-queen. Here, West would take four tricks in that suit to defeat the contract.
Instead, many declarers would play a diamond to dummy’s ace and return a diamond to their king – and suddenly find that they could no longer make the contract. East would gain the lead in one red suit or the other.
South should take a safety finesse, covering dummy’s diamond nine with his 10. Here, declarer would end with an overtrick. But even if West could take the trick, the contract would be safe.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
