The Tired Men
Summer's premier bridge event is the ten-day Brighton meeting. The two top events bookend it on the weekends; Swiss pairs the first, Swiss teams the second. For keen players of every level there are mid-week competitions.
In past years one used to see many local faces at the weekends especially but recently this has dwindled to just a few. I wonder why? The competitions are, if anything, better run, Brighton is at least as attractive a place away from the table with good restaurants and shopping opportunities before game-time. I played this year in a (half) Suffolk team and spotted only one more. As luck would have it we both finished on the same score at the end, they picking up speed, we losing it.
The teams is fourteen eight-board rounds, not so long but stamina plays a part. This was the final deal of the final match:
| EW Vul. Dealer West | ♠ 109762 | ||
| ♥ A10 | |||
| ♦ A | |||
| ♣ K6532 | |||
| ♠ K3 | ♠ QJ54 | ||
| ♥ 32 | ♥ KJ98654 | ||
| ♦ Q8654 | ♦ 9 | ||
| ♣ 10987 | ♣ J | ||
| ♠ A8 | |||
| ♥ Q7 | |||
| ♦ KJ10732 | |||
| ♣ AQ4 | |||
| West | North | East | South | |
| Pass | 1♠ | 3♥ | X | |
| Pass | 4♣ | Pass | 4♦ | |
| Pass | 4♥ | X | 4♠ | |
| End | ||||
East's jump overcall was weak, south's double take-out. In the circumstances it was quite difficult for north-south to settle on the only making game of five clubs. However, their four spades had a chance when east selected a heart for the opening lead. This ran to the ten collecting west's three and north played a spade to the eight and king, west continuing the heart two. The spade ace confirmed the suit no worse than 4-2.
Declarer came back to the diamond ace to play a spade expecting west, if anyone, to have the long trumps but it was east who won, west discarding a diamond. Eventually he decided his partner had to have the club king and so tried the club knave. This would have been necessary had north had as poor an opener as ♠109762 ♥A10 ♦AQ ♣10932 but on the actual deal the club ace won in this position:
| ♠ 109 | |||
| ♥ --- | |||
| ♦ --- | |||
| ♣ K653 | |||
| ♠ --- | ♠ J | ||
| ♥ --- | ♥ KJ965 | ||
| ♦ Q86 | ♦ --- | ||
| ♣ 1098 | ♣ --- | ||
| ♠ --- | |||
| ♥ --- | |||
| ♦ KJ107 | |||
| ♣ Q4 | |||
East couldn't allow the diamond king to live otherwise the next play would ruff out west's queen so he trumped and perforce, played a heart. North ruffed and played his last trump. Reduced to three cards, west couldn't keep three clubs to guard that suit as well as the diamond queen.
I'm sure you will have spotted how both defence and declarer could have done better: if declarer noted last week's piece on counting he would know there was no distribution east could have to harm four spades after he had shown at least seven hearts, two spades and a diamond. Either clubs would break or diamonds could be established; the opponents were welcome to make two trumps, either separately or in the same hand. And East, he should have played a heart when given the third trump - there would now be no way to take the ruffing finesse in diamonds with north reduced to one trump. As they say in chess, the winner is the one who makes the penultimate mistake.
Afterthoughts
A word about the title: I'm currently reading The Bridge Philosopher by James S. Kauder (1972 possibly self published) which seems very little known but is a great read with tremendous hands, many containing ideas I've never met before. The first tale of forty is "The Tired Man".
If anything this deal was more a testament to tiredness than related above. I think - I'm certainly not sure - that west discarded a club on the third round of spades. That meant that north (me I'm afraid) couldn't actually fail, even had east forced again with a heart. So a club may well have been his best play at that time.
I was a little sweeping in my summing up; in this position, four spades is not guaranteed:
| ♠ 1097 | |||
| ♥ --- | |||
| ♦ --- | |||
| ♣ K6532 | |||
| ♠ --- | |||
| ♥ --- | |||
| ♦ KJ1073 | |||
| ♣ AQ4 | |||
Trusting west's three-two peter in hearts, east can be counted for seven hearts, two spades and has followed to a diamond. With clubs 3-2 declarer cannot go wrong by leaving that as a last chance. Say north crosses to the ♣A and plays ♦K; if east has only one diamond and does not ruff, the ruffing finesse in diamonds secures the extra game-trick. So east must ruff if he can and that will be from only 4=7=1=1 when clubs are not breaking. Conceding a trump will now set up the squeeze that appears in the article.
A bit more difficulty is caused by east following to the ♦K. Paradoxically, ruffing a diamond is safe. Clearly if the suit is 3-3 (east 2=7=3=1) you are home, if east over-ruffs from 3=7=2=1 they must play a heart in this position:
| ♠ 109 | |||
| ♥ --- | |||
| ♦ --- | |||
| ♣ K65 | |||
| ♠ Q | ♠ --- | ||
| ♥ --- | ♥ KJ965 | ||
| ♦ Q | ♦ --- | ||
| ♣ 1098 | ♣ --- | ||
| ♠ --- | |||
| ♥ --- | |||
| ♦ J107 | |||
| ♣ Q4 | |||
And that squeezes his partner without the count. But what if east refuses to over-ruff? Declarer would not know whether he was 2=7=2=2 or 3=7=2=1 until he played another club. East would not ruff this but discard another heart to leave north seemingly badly placed but wanting only two more tricks:
| ♠ 109 | |||
| ♥ --- | |||
| ♦ --- | |||
| ♣ K6 | |||
| ♠ Q | ♠ J | ||
| ♥ --- | ♥ KJ9 | ||
| ♦ Q | ♦ --- | ||
| ♣ 109 | ♣ --- | ||
| ♠ --- | |||
| ♥ --- | |||
| ♦ J107 | |||
| ♣ 4 | |||
North has a second string: if he can score all his plain-suit winners, two each in hearts and diamonds, three in clubs, he only needs three trumps. The ace and two ruffs are sufficient. Therefore north can ruff a diamond and although east may over-ruff (or ruff the ♣K) he has to lead a heart enabling north to score his last trump.
What if east shows out on the first round of clubs? He cannot ruff a loser so will pitch a heart from 2=7=4=0, 3=7=3=0 and 4=7=2=0 alike. In all cases the ♦K will be followed by both defenders. When north ruffs a diamond he will win against the first two shapes - the first because he can again elope with trumps - but if he has the last east can successfully over-ruff and force or alternatively, just wait.
It may look safe to run the ♦J as if east wins from 3=7=3=0 it means the trumps are 3-3. However, that will allow east-west to score their honours separately.
So, as far as I can see, there's no way of guaranteeing four spades if clubs are 5-0. East has seven counted cards in the round suits, the same as west. The six missing cards in each pointed suit are known to be breaking 3-3 or 4-2 either way. It's as close as a close thing and fractional differences will be more than swamped by any table feel.
And, of course, you'd have to be awake.
Published Saturday 23.Aug.2008