Overtricks

The last two articles have been about pairs play so it's time to return to teams bridge. At least you can relax a little knowing that your fate won't be decided by whether you make an overtrick in a solid game or not. Well, perhaps. When matches get close, the one or two IMPs that change hands for extra tricks can be decisive.

You lead by seven going into the last eight boards of an early round of the Schapiro Spring Fours, you've had a reverse and things must now be even closer; you bid these hands to three no-trump:

  • KQ954
  • Q4
  • K83
  • Q72
N
W
E
S
  • A7
  • AJ10
  • AQ75
  • 9864

You bid spades and partner a lead-inhibiting two clubs. North leads the heart six and the ten from dummy produces the nine from South, you win with the queen and take another successful heart finesse. You now have nine tricks; time to start looking for those extra IMPs.

The club suit is a bit of a worry and it's natural to try the spades, so you place ace and another but South surprises you by discarding a heart. So North started with five of those, put that with the two hearts you've seen plus the king and that's eight of his cards. When you play a diamond to dummy he follows with the ten spot so that's nine. That means he cannot have five clubs, so it will be safe to play club from dummy to your queen. That loses to the ace in North and he returns another heart to dummy's ace, South showing out. The situation is now:

  • Q9
  • ---
  • K3
  • 72
N
W
E
S
  • ---
  • ---
  • A75
  • 986

Notice that when you crossed to dummy you were careful to do so with the eight. What good has that done you? Well, when you now play a diamond back to hand, North, having previously played the ten, contributes the nine. So he started with five each of both majors, ten-nine of diamonds and the ace of clubs - South has the other cards. So it's just a matter cashing the spade queen, forcing another club from South and then playing a club. As expected North discards and South cashes the defence's second and third tricks but at the end he has to lead from knave-six of diamonds into dummy's ace-seven.

All you had to do to earn the overtrick was to keep count, first for safety and then for the end-play but did you notice the defence's error? When in with the club North shouldn't help you out with an entry to the ace of hearts; a diamond would ruin your communications. And your mistake? Ducking a club completely would have ensured the overtrick. Was this worth the trouble? Well, yes, we gained and IMP - but we lost the match by two…

Published Saturday 12.May.2007