Memory Lane

A hand in January's Bridge World caught my eye. It was presented as a problem, so you should have a go before reading on. Declaring 4♥ you receive a small club lead won in dummy, a trump to the knave holds, how do you continue?

  • 1065
  • AJ1098
  • 2
  • 8765
N
W
E
S
  • AKQJ2
  • K32
  • K765
  • A

Though this was featured in the Fifty Years Ago section, my first encounter with the theme was at school, marginally later than that. Sensing a rebellion to the continued enforcement of games in the sixth form, the teachers at Northgate Grammar (as was) made efforts to enhance the winter diet of rugby and cross country runs. As the definition of sport was radically widened, strange things appeared as choices for Wednesday afternoons and bridge was one of them. I'm forced to ask rhetorically, how many schools feature bridge these days?

But back to our problem. The answer is to continue a heart and duck in dummy if left hand opponent follows – effectively taking a finesse though North after successfully taking one through South. The reason is that only four trumps in North can endanger the contract and you are protecting against a clever hold-up. Of course when we were presented with the problem declarer was never tested as no North thought not to win their queen. That this hold-up with Qxxx might be difficult to spot is not surprising but it is effective - this is a hand from an Ipswich club evening last year:

  • J6
  • KJ85
  • 1095
  • Q874
  • A9875
  • Q
  • KQ82
  • AKJ
N
W
E
S
  • 43
  • A632
  • A7
  • 109652
  • KQ102
  • 10974
  • J643
  • 3

I received the lead of the heart four, somewhat strange from that holding but it made it easy to count the suit for 4-4 and win immediately. I took a club finesse and North won. They had three hearts tricks but I had a way to my nine winners. Examine the effect of North letting that club knave hold. You might also observe how much easier it would have been to find that play had declarer played clubs from the top.

Diary Dates

Bury St Edmunds Swiss Teams Congress is at New Green Community Centre, Thurston on Sunday 6th February 2005, 2:00 pm. £32 per team (includes tea). Entries to: Anne Nunn, Tel. 01638 750100 or E-Mail spinneymead@hotmail.com

Published Saturday 8.Jan.2005