BRIDGE
All cash
Andrew Robson
OMAR SHARIF is not Egypt's only world- class bridge player. Hagi Dagher a fellow countryman of Omar's — was the only declarer to make slam from the recent African, Asian and Middle East Champi- onships: Dealer South Side Vulnerable South 2* 4NT 5NT 6NT The Bidding West North East
Pass 3* Pass Pass 5* Pass Pass 6* Pass Pass Pass Pass West led 44 which Dagher won in hand and, needing to establish diamonds, played a diamond to dummy's 10. East won •J and returned a spade. Most declarers now ran •(;), losing to East's (bare) *K. They had taken the correct percentage play tak- ing the diamond suit in isolation — losing only when both *J and K are with East. Dagher saw no rush; he discarded a heart from dummy on the spade return and cashed *A and K. If 4Q hadn't fallen, he would have resorted to the second dia- mond finesse. When it did fall, he could cash +J, cross to IIK and cash 4410, dis- carding the potentially blocking *Q. When he cashed IPA and Q, he discovered the suit divided 3-3 and his thirteenth heart was good. He had twelve tricks by way of 34s, 41Ps, 14P and 4+ tricks and no further diamond finesse was necessary. If West had had 4Vs, Dagher would still have suc- ceeded on a `Show-up squeeze'. West would have had to discard a diamond to keep all his hearts. At trick twelve, having cashed his last spade, declarer could lead a diamond towards dummy and when West followed low, he would know to play dummy's +A. East would be bound to have a singleton •K left, West's last card being a heart.
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