Dubious Logic

Get Out of Jail Free Card

I wrote a few weeks back how one should be a careful of compliments from the opponents. Not wary of their sentiments of course, because in a competitive world, there is no better provenance. But in the heat of the moment, the outcome dominates; if you are successful, your play will be commended, it is rare to receive plaudits for taking a correct, but unlucky, action.

Those remarks don't detract on a great play made against me by Joe Marshall at Ipswich and Kesgrave club. These are the cards he could see:

At game all North passed and East opened a weak no-trump. South came to life with three clubs and Joe, West, bid three spades, raised to game by East.

North led the club nine, low, knave, ace. South had a lot of clubs so it was natural to play North for spade length and declarer continued ace and another spade. To West's surprise, North discarded a heart on the second round, South won two spade tricks and led a top club. Things hadn't started well.

Joe ruffed this (North following) and played ace and queen of diamonds, hoping for some good news there. Nothing doing: South showed out on the second diamond. To get to hand the last club was ruffed, North again showing out. A heart towards the ace-knave produced the queen from North. Joe should probably have ducked this but he won collecting the four from South. This was the position:

In the East hand, needing three tricks with just a trump and the diamond king for certain, Joe was in the same position as the ramblers in Ireland asking a local for directions – "If I was you, I wouldn't start from here…". There was only one play that had any hope and he found it – the knave of hearts.

Great card!

That brought the ten from South and established the eight, albeit stranded in an entryless dummy. But North couldn't afford to play a diamond and Joe had his game.

But in the interests of truth we have to go back, after the reasonable but unsuccessful play in trumps, to here when South leads a top club

Assuming for his vulnerable overcall South has seven clubs, you can insure the contract by throwing a heart on this trick. South has ten black cards and three red; play heart ace and ruff two more if necessary, using the diamond ace as an entry. Thereafter, only North can guard the red suits and tricks will fall into your lap as you cash spades. If South has a diamond to lead after holding the club trick, only one heart ruff is required to exhaust him of that suit.

Published Saturday 1.Mar.2008