Phillip Alder Bridge

Monday, August 6, 2007

Six doses of bridge from the real world

North

	Q 7 5
	7 5 2
	7 3
	K 9 8 4 2

West

	J
	A Q 9 4
	A K 10 8 6
	10 5 3

East

	K 2
	10 8 6 3
	Q J 5 4
	Q J 6

South

	A 10 9 8 6 4 3
	K J
	9 2
	A 7

Dealer: South
Vulnerable: Neither

South	West	North	East
1	Dble	2	Dble
4	Pass	Pass	Pass

Opening lead:

     This week we are going to visit the real world. The first deal arose during a social game in St. Louis a couple of months ago. How should the defense go to defeat four spades after West leads the diamond ace?
     After South opened one spade and West made a takeout double, showing shortage in the opener's suit and length (at least three cards) in each of the other three suits, North correctly raised to two spades. He had the values for the bid, and it would have been tactically poor to pass.
     Now East wanted to act, but he was not sure whether to bid three hearts (which might prove to be a 4-3 fit) or three diamonds (which risked missing a 4-4 heart fit). He tried to solve the problem by making a responsive double, which said that he had sufficient points to act, but had no clear-cut call. South, though, closed the auction by jumping to four spades.
     West led the diamond ace, under which East played his queen. When a defender cannot win a trick, he may advertise touching honors by dropping the top one in his sequence.
     West continued with his diamond eight, East winning with his jack and shifting to a heart to give the defense the first four tricks for down one.
     Suppose West misdefends, taking his two top diamonds and switching to a club. Good guesswork gets declarer home with an overtrick. He wins with his club ace, plays a club to dummy's king, and runs the spade queen. Then comes a club ruff, the spade ace, a spade to dummy, and the two established clubs, on which South's hearts disappear.