MADEIRA
BRIDGE
Table feel
Andrew Robson
HAVING been pushed to an uncomfort- ably high level, as a result of some spirited competitive bidding by the opposition, the declarer Petar Jancovic required great `table-feel' to bring home his contract.
Dealer North North-South Vulnerable South West North East 1♦ 1 5V (!) 54 pass pass pass West's 5V bid, though destined to go four down if North had chosen to double, was an excellent pressure bid at the favourable vulnerability. Bidding 4V (or less) would be sure to give North an easy 44 bid. Because he had not yet had a chance to reveal his + support to partner, North would surely be tempted to bid on even at the five level as he did. West led VJ which East won with VA and switched to dummy's weakness, +s. Declarer won 4K and led 4Q. When West followed low in a somewhat bored fashion, declarer deduced that he was not deciding whether to cover 4Q with 4K that it was East who held 4K. He rose with dummy's ace and led a 4 to his queen and trumped the second V. Next he led dummy's +A — can you see why declarer made such a seemingly risky play with a low trump still outstanding? He continued by leading a second trump and East won his king. Because declarer had eliminated Vs and 45, East had no good return. If he led a IP, declarer would discard his third ♦ and trump in dummy. He actually chose to lead a low ♦, playing West for ♦J. No good declarer won ♦J and had avoided losing a trick to ♦Q. Had Petar played trumps according to the percentages, running the 4Q, East would have won the king and exited safely. He would now have to lose a trick — the setting trick — to East's ♦Q.
Previous page
