BRIDGE
Happy return
Andrew Robson
AN expert defender usually 'knows the hand' by about trick four of five, based on his partner's signals and the way declarer is approaching the play. But the key moment often arrives earlier...
Cover up this week's West and South hands and see if you can defend as accu- rately at trick two as did Pat Bartrum. West led V3 and Pat won VA. What should he play next?
Dealer West East West vulnerable 4A K 8 V 10 4 2
• Q 109 8 3 + J 4
4Q 9 6 4 3
♦ K 7 3
• A J 4 2 5 4 J 10 VA QJ 9 8 5
• K 6 5 +8 2 N W E S
47 5 2 V6
♦ 7
+ A K Q 10 9 7 63 South West North East pass pass 1V 5, double pass pass pass At several tables in the Master Dupli- cate at my club East continued with V Q. Declarer trumped and led his singleton •. West played low (had he played •A, declarer had sufficient entries to trump out East's •K and establish dummy's •Q) and East beat dummy's •8 with •K and played a third V. After trumping, declarer crossed to 4J, trumped a •, drew the remaining trump, crossed to 4K and trumped a third •.
Undaunted by the failure of •A to appear, he rattled off all his trumps. As he played his last trump, West held 4Q9 and • A and dummy 4A8 and •Q. West had to keep •A so discarded 49; but dummy's • Q could now be thrown, and declarer led a 4 for dummy to take the last two tricks with 4A and 48.
When Pat was East, he won VA and returned 4J at trick two — not an easy play to find staring at dummy's 4AK. Declarer won 4K, crossed to 4A and led his singleton •. Pat beat dummy's •8 with • K and played 410. 4A — dummy's last entry outside trumps — was removed, the • s were dead, and partner could not be squeezed.
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