BRIDGE

Check mates

Andrew Robson

SAVE The Children have recently joined forces with The English Bridge Union. Their first fund-raising event was a Pro- Am held last month, in which such bridge playing celebrities as cricket's Mike tat- ting, veteran actor Peter Wyngarde, and ITN's man in Washington James Mates each teamed up with a bridge pro.

I was delighted to draw Tory MP Michael Mates, James's father, who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat on this deal from the event.

Dealer South East-West Vulnerable 4 7 5 IP A 7 6 2 4 10 9 3

♦ K J 10 5 • 4 3 ♦ A 10 + 9 765

4 K 8 IP 9

• K 9 3

N W E

+ A 7 4

3

4 K J 10

8 6 5 2

4 A J 6 4 2

♦ Q 8

♦ Q J 8 4 2 + The Bidding

South

West North East 14 pass 2+ 3+ 3♦ pass 4+ 44 pass pass West cashed +A and switched to 49, which ran round to Michael's 4J. Cashing 4A is the indicated play at this point, and with 4K fortuitously dropping, declarer would lose just the two red kings and so make his contract. But when Michael pre- ferred to play 42 at trick three, West was able to trump with 43. West exited safely with 410, and Michael appeared to have thrown away his chance of making the con- tract. Not so. Can you see how he managed to avoid losing to 11K?

Michael won 4A drawing East's 4K, crossed to •A and paused to reconstruct East's hand pattern. Known to have started with two 4s and three •s, and likely to have seven 4's for his vulnerable overcall at the three-level, there was room for just one ♦. Michael cashed dummy's IPA, the key play, and was unconcerned that East's singleton was not 'K. He played a third ♦ to East's • K and East, whose singleton V exit card had been extracted, returned a + perforce. Michael discarded his •Q and trumped with dummy's last trump. Great recovery! The event was won handsomely by Su Burn and famous tenor Ian Partridge.