Dubious Logic

One off is good bridge?

Bridge is a game played under time pressure and many of the decisions we take are built on shortcuts we have learnt or established. That is not to say such reflexes should not be questioned. This is a deal from the recent Suffolk Championship Teams, both vulnerable:

East didn't promise any spades with his negative double of the overcall and couldn't produce any. Despite that, four spades was not a ridiculous contract but when South doubled on the way out, prospects were not good. North led a low diamond and the ace won. There was nothing very much to do except find out how badly trumps were breaking and West started with a top spade. North won this, cashed the club ace and tried another diamond. South eventually came to a trump trick and the heart ace for one off – this was the full deal:

At our team-mate's table the auction was similar but West restrained himself and bid just three spades but again South doubled. This time however, North, Norman Less, found a more active defence by starting with ace and another club threatening a ruff. As before, West tried a top spade but this was won with the ace immediately. A heart put South in to give North a ruff with the lowly spade two. South still had a trump to come, courtesy of the nine-eight and that was five tricks - one more trick but again, one off for a flat board.

Could West have done better? Well yes; it looks so natural to begin trumps with an honour from that sequence but, warned by the double that one player has length, it does not lose to start with a low one. In fact, at the second table, if North-South win a cheap trick with a spot-card, North's ruff will come with the ace – a trick in any case – and the run of top honours can draw the remaining four.

Published Saturday 15.Dec.2007