Phillip Alder Bridge

Monday, August 13, 2007

You must watch your entries

North

	6 3 2
	A 6 4 3
	A J 7 6 4
	2

West

	8 7 5 4
	Q J 10 8
	9 2
	A Q 5

East

	9
	9 7
	K Q 10 5
	K J 10 8 4 3

South

	A K Q J 10
	K 5 2
	8 3
	9 7 6

Dealer: South
Vulnerable: East-West

South	West	North	East
1	Pass	1NT	2
Pass	3	3	Pass
4	Pass	Pass	Pass

Opening lead:

     Solomon Short said, “The only winner in the War of 1812 was Tchaikovsky.”
     One wonders whether one could say something similar about any other war.
     At the bridge table, we love winners and hate losers. But sometimes we must be careful how we put our winners to work in the battle to make our contract. This deal is a good example. South is in four spades. How should he plan the play after West leads the heart queen? What was West's more effective opening salvo?
     North responded with a forcing one notrump. This is popular in the tournament world. Normally the responder will have a standard one-notrump response, but might have a game-invitational hand. Here, when North rebid three spades, he showed 10-12 support points, eight losers, and exactly three spades. South, knowing his partner was short in clubs, boldly raised to game.
     If West had led a trump at trick one, the contract could have been defeated. Declarer would get only one club ruff on the board and would lose one heart, one diamond and two clubs.
     After the heart-queen lead, though, South was in control if he took the first trick with dummy's heart ace, keeping his king as a later entry for a club ruff. Declarer immediately conceded a club trick, won the heart continuation with his king, ruffed a club on the board, played a spade to his hand, trumped the last club, and gave up a heart trick. South took five spades, two hearts, one diamond and those two club ruffs.
     Watch your entries like a hawk, not a dove.