MADEIRA
BRIDGE
Good from bad
Andrew Robson
IT IS certainly satisfying to pick up 20 points and make a game or slam. Even more rewarding is to score well with a bad hand — one such as East's, below: Dealer West Both Vulnerable South West North East 14 2V Pass 2NT 34 3NT Dble All pass West opened with a tactical underbid of 14 — 24 would be my choice; North over- called 2V and South tried 2NT, eager to win game and rubber. Continuing his cau- tious policy, West bid just 34, and North, no doubt hoping his Vs would provide six tricks, gambled 3NT. East had been unim- pressed with his hand when he picked it up; still less so when his partner kept bid- ding his singleton suit. Yet he knew dummy's Vs would not run and so chanced a double — perhaps in part to stop his partner bidding 44.
West led +A and continued with 4K, 4Q and a fourth 4 to declarer's jack. Dummy pitched (in order) ♦, 4, ♦ and East threw three ♦s. Declarer led a V to dummy's ace and led +J and let it ride to West's queen. At this point the roof fell in! West could cash all his +s and, because dummy was down to the bare ♦K, contin- ue with his *s. Declarer won no more tricks and was seven down — a penalty of 2,000 points!
Declarer can actually make the hand by discarding ♦s from the dummy on West's 4A, K and Q. On winning 4J, he must cash +A; when West's queen falls, he can lead a 4 to dummy's jack and take a marked finesse against East's 10. He scores 1 4, 3 Vs and 5 tricks.
Previous page
