THE PLAY ’ S THE THING
Here are two challenging deals , with the contracts established and the leads given . How would you play them ? Assume you are playing rubber bridge or a team game where the objective is to make the contract . Have fun with these hands !
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
7 4 A 10 8 5 8 6 4 3 A K 6
2♠
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
8 5 5 4 9 6 3 A K Q 7 6 3
6♥
LEAD : |
♥2 |
W |
N
S
|
E |
LEAD :
♥2
|
W |
N
S
|
E |
♣
You are in 2♠ with the opponents silent throughout the auction . West leads the ♥2 . What is your plan for finishing with at least eight tricks ?
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
Cover the bottom of the page while you plan the play .
Q J 9 5 Q 7 6 2 K 10 Q 9 2
♠ ♥ ♦
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
A 10 8 6 3 2 9 A J 5 10 7 3
7 4 A 10 8 5 8 6 4 3 A K 6
A 10 8 6 3 2 9 A J 5 10 7 3
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
K K J 4 3 Q 9 7 2 J 8 5 4
There could be three or even four spade losers if the five missing spades divide unfavorably . There are also two diamond losers and one club loser . The best plan is probably to count winners . You start with five winners : a spade , a heart , a diamond , and two clubs . You need three more tricks and they can come from spades by ruffing hearts in your hand .
West ’ s lead of the ♥2 , combined with the lack of any bidding from the opponents , indicates the defenders ’ hearts are likely divided 4-4 . Win the first trick with dummy ’ s ♥A and immediately ruff a heart . Cross to dummy with a club winner and ruff another heart . Cross back to dummy with the remaining club winner and ruff dummy ’ s last heart . The ♠A and ♦A give you eight tricks .
On the actual deal , if you start by drawing trumps , the 4-1 break will leave you with only three spade winners . The unfavorable breaks in clubs and diamonds will prevent you from establishing an extra trick in either of those suits . Sometimes it ’ s easier to count winners than losers .
18 Audrey Grant ’ s Better Bridge | July-August 2024
W
N
S
E
2♠
♣
You are in 6♥ . West leads the ♥2 . How do you plan to take twelve tricks ?
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
K 10 9 7 4 2 6 2 K 10 8 5 4
♠ ♥ ♦
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
A Q 6 A K Q J 10 8 A Q 9 5
8 5 5 4 9 6 3 A K Q 7 6 3
W
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
A Q 6 A K Q J 10 8 A Q 9 5
J 3 9 7 3 J 7 4 2 J 10 8 2
You can afford only one loser . There are three potential losers : two spades and a diamond . After drawing trumps , you can discard one loser on dummy ’ s extra club winner . If the defenders ’ five clubs divide 3-2 , you could then discard the remaining losers on dummy ’ s clubs . If the clubs don ’ t divide , you can decide whether to try the spade finesse or the diamond finesse to avoid a loser in one of those suits .
A better plan is to draw all the defenders ’ trumps and then play a low club from both hands , giving up a trick to the defenders . You can then discard both spade and diamond losers on dummy ’ s established clubs . You won ' t get an overtrick if the defenders ’ clubs divide 3-2 , but it assures the contract if the clubs are no worse than 4-1 . If they were 5-0 , you could still fall back on deciding which finesse to take .
If you were to draw trumps and take the three top club winners , discarding a spade loser , you would go down when the clubs divide 4-1 and both the spade and diamond finesses lose . Don ’ t worry about the overtrick when you ’ ve reached a good slam contract .
N
S
E
6♥