BRIDGE
Personal best
Andrew Robson
I AM sometimes asked whether I prefer rubber bridge, teams-of-four, or match- point pairs. Though the excitement of pick- ing up a wonderful hand is reduced when you know that all the other players will be picking up the same hand during the course of the session (as in teams and pairs), there is too much of a luck element at rubber. Between teams and pairs I like a game where every overtrick counts — and that means pairs.
This week's hand was all about over- tricks — but because it was pairs they were crucial.
Dealer North Neither Side Vulnerable 45 ♦ A K 7 2 • Q J 3
• K 10 6 4 3 4 K 9 6 4 J 8 7 4 3 2 ✓ 0 9 8 4 ♦ J 10 6 5 • 10 • K 2 4 A J 9 8 5 Q 4 A Q 10 IP 3
• A 9 8 7 6 5 4 + 72 The Bidding South West North East 1+ pass l• pass 1V pass 3NT pass pass pass West led V4 — leading through dummy's second suit is so often the right start for the defence — and declarer won dummy's VK. He then led 4Q, covered by East's 41( and won by his +A. Trying for the all-important overtricks, declarer next tried 42. West played low and dummy's 4K held the trick, East dropping 40. Declarer cashed VA discarding 410, cashed +.1, then led +3 to his hand. He cashed all his remaining 4s to leave 4AQ and 47 as his last three cards. West, whose last four cards were 4K9 and +AJ, was forced to relinquish one further card when declarer led his last 4. In order to keep a guard for 4K, away went 4J. Can you see how declarer made two further tricks?
Declarer exited with 47. After winning +A, West was forced to lead from 4K9 into declarer's 4AQ and 12 tricks were made. Unsurprisingly a 'top'.
At teams of rubber the beauty of declar- er's play would have been lost somewhat, as it merely revolved around the number of overtricks.
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