BRIDGE
Making it
Andrew Robson
NEW YORK based bridge professional Win Allegaert lived up to his name at the recent festival in Ajaccio, Corsica. He won the Paris (with Indian Jaggy Shivdasani) an amazing nine per cent ahead of 2nd place, and was the only declarer to make the following tricky game contract.
Dealer East Neither side vulnerable 4 5 ♦ K QJ 7 6 2
• A Q 5 3 4 7 3 The Bidding South West
1♦ pass 2• pass 4V pass
North East pass 14 2+ 3+ pass pass pass West led 48, Win covered with dummy's +9 and East won +10, cashed +A and continued with 4K. Win trumped with ♦J and West discarded 43. Win placed ♦K with West — East had passed as dealer, had shown up with eight points in +s and also probably held 4Q, judging from West's readiness to discard the suit. Win therefore rejected any thoughts of a • finesse. Instead he crossed to VA, returned to VQ, East discarding, and cashed VK. He followed by cashing dummy's 4A and 4►K, removing West's two remaining 4s and discarding a ♦ from hand. He then led the master 4Q, discarding his second low • . If West had trumped, he would have been forced to lead a ♦ into declarer's • AQ. But his decision to discard merely postponed the inevitable. Win trumped a 4, West discarding again, and led his last trump. West won •9 but his forced ♦ lead into Win's ♦AQ ensured the contract.
East-West, a world class French pair, cannot have been proud of their defence, Particularly on the third trick. If East had played a low 4 (or his singleton ♦10) the contract would have failed; similarly if West had discarded a• rather than a 4. 4 10 6 3 V9 8 4 3
• K J 7 2 +8 6
4 A K J 4 2 V A 5
• 8 6 (2 9 4 2 4Q 9 8 7 ♦ 10 • 10 9 4 4 A K J 105
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