Dubious Logic

Forcing a guess

There ought to be a wealth of deals from Suffolk's most recent highly successful match against Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire – at least, several that stand revisiting. But bridge isn't really like that; in the overwhelming majority of cases, the winning team is simply the one that made fewer mistakes. Take this board from the last quarter where the Suffolk 'A' team gained heavily:

As North I led a top heart and didn't see much hope for the defence when partner signalled a even number of hearts. Rather woodenly, I switched to a trump and left declarer to her own devices. That stratagem received undeserved reward when she drew trumps, ruffed the clubs good and played a heart. I still had safe hearts to play and we had no real problem in taking two diamond tricks. (Had I held both diamond honours, I would have been similarly untroubled.)

Both Suffolk declarers made the spade game, but the other Cambs and Hunts' player also failed – was there a defence? Well perhaps. If the East-West play diamonds, say after taking a second heart, declarer has a guess. Surely, I hear you say, on North's low diamond, West should play the nine from dummy; gaining against both Q10x and K10x in North's hand, losing only to KQx. Would anyone ever play low from KQx? Well, this deal – or something like it - occurred at the Felixstowe congress a few years ago:

East opened a spade, rebid his suit and was raised to four spades over our four hearts. I led a top heart and when that held, the unseen high cards outside hearts had to be with declarer. Accordingly, and with not much hope, I switched to a low diamond. Faced with the same guess (in the same suit, which is probably why I was able to recall it), East inserted the nine. Partner's ten was a disappointment to him and a success for us. This deal was flat in our match, the same defence found by our opponents – as they say, one-off is good bridge!

Published Saturday 4.Aug.2007