' - ."Afier BRIDGE
Sound logic
Andrew Robson
A light opening bid and sound logical thinking enabled South to make game and rubber on the following hand; had he not opened, the hand would have been thrown in.
Dealer East North-South Vulnerable The Bidding South West North East Pass 1V Pass 4V All pass After East had passed as dealer, South's 111 opener encouraged North to go straight to game — though the acelessness and bal- anced nature of his hand would suggest 3V to be better evaluation. West led 43 and East won 4IC, cashed 4A and, noticing South's 412), switched to a trump. Missing three cards, including the king, it is normal for South to take a finesse — playing low and hoping East has VK (a 50 per cent shot); playing VA only succeeds when West has a singleton king — far less likely. Yet South did play VA — can you see why? With *A to lose as well as the two 4s, South had to avoid losing a + trick as well as a V; this would only be possible if East held 4K — a + lead from dummy to his jack would prevent 4K from winning a trick. Yet if East held 4K in addition to 4A and K, he could not also hold VK, or he would have 13 points and an opening bid — remember he had passed as dealer. South's only chance was that West had the VK singleton. Impeccable logic was rewarded when West's VK fell under the ace. He drew a second trump and led a •; when West ducked, he could win in dummy, discard his other • on 4J and take the 4 finesse for an overtrick.
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