BRIDGE
No bluffing
Andrew Robson
`PLAYING the card you are known to hold' is an essential concept for the aspir- ing defender to grasp. Say declarer is estab- lishing a side suit of AQ432 in dummy (in a trump contract). He leads the 7 and you, holding KJ6, follow low; he finesses dummy's queen and cashes the ace: it is mandatory for you to play the king not the jack. This may fool declarer into thinking you have no more cards left — he may ruff the third round with an unnecessarily high trump, or abandon the suit altogether. If you fail to throw the king, a card you are known to hold after the finesse succeeded, declarer knows he can safely trump the third round of the suit low — you are known to have the king left.
Dealer South Neither Side Vulnerable South West North East
2NT (20-22) Pass 6NT All Pass With such a balanced shape, North should have had 13 points to bid 6NT (6NT needs 33 points to be a favourite with no long suits). West led +10 which South won and led a • to dummy's king. East took his ace (a weak play) and returned his second +. South won and, still two tricks short, suc- cessfully led a 4 to the jack. Then he cashed 4K, West dropping the queen. Presuming West had no spades left, he continued with a 4 to his 9. West won the 10 and had four 4s to cash — South was four down! By playing 4Q West was play- ing the card he was known to hold. But, because it was a mandatory play with his actual holding, South should not have assumed he had no spades remaining. Had he played out all his red suit winners, he could count West for only four red cards; if he only had two 4s, then he would have seven 4s — impossible as East had fol- lowed twice in 4s. West must have started with three 4s and six 4s — leading a 4 to the ace would drop his 10 and make the slam.
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