Dubious Logic

SCBA AGM Pairs

It is a device that most clubs and associations use: the administrative business of the annual general meeting is followed by a session of bridge. The advantages are twofold; more people turn out for the business part of the day and secondly, everyone strives to keep that short. Last Sunday's Suffolk AGM was efficiently conducted and the AGM pairs soon commenced. The nature of the occasion lends itself to first-time partnerships and some volatility.

My partner and I were East-West and made the old error of mixing playing strength and defensive potential. I led the diamond ten and the play was straightforward; declarer won the ace, drew four rounds of trumps and played on clubs. With the ace of spades in dummy, there was nothing I could do as East to stop the spade loser being discarded on the fourth club. There was discussion as to whether an initial spade lead would have set four hearts.

Well at first sight declarer can pitch a diamond on the long club so it comes to the same thing. At second glance however, I can hold up the club ace until the third round and deny declarer entry to her winners. But that doesn't quite hold water; though the ace of spades has gone, the knave of hearts is a perfectly good entry for that club winner. However, the reflex reaction of trying trumps at trick two starting with that card would doom the heart game.

Four hearts is often a 'transfer' to four spades and we should have taken that action here. That contract is nip and tuck. North will lead a top heart and perhaps anticipating trouble with trumps, let's say West discards a club. North continues with, say, a low heart and West now ruffs spade ten and advances an honour. South must duck and duck again if West tries a second top trump – leaving himself with the singleton trump ace – everything to prevent that sneaky spade nine becoming an entry. If West can get two dummy entries, he will finesse in diamonds twice and land ten tricks. If South finds the double hold-up, West will have to start diamonds from hand to come to nine tricks – still a good save.

Published Saturday 26.May.2007