BRIDGE

Winkled

Andrew Robson

Dealer West North-South Vulnerable 43 2

A 106 4 • 8 7 6 5

• J 5 4

46 5 4 10 4

N

J 9 7 • 8 5 3 2 • K 9 4 W E • A 103 2 • A K Q 10 6

• 9 8 7

• AKQJ 9 8 7

• K Q

• Q J

South West North East 1NT (i2-m) pass pass 44 all pass South's bold 44 contract had four immedi- ate losers (two •s and two +s), but West led +A and continued with two more top +s, South trumping the third. South had ten winners, but the • blockage prevented him from reaching dummy's •A. Watch his tenth trick appear from nowhere after he had played out all his 4s. With four cards remaining, South holding his four red cards and dummy •A104 and a •, West had to keep all three •s, to prevent South from overtaking his second • honour and scoring dummy's •10 and so he had to bare his • K. South cashed •K and •Q and exited with *Q. West won and had to give dummy the last trick with VA. It would not have helped East to overtake •K with his ace he would have had to give South the last trick with *J. South had `winkled' his tenth trick and the defence, once they had not switched to •s at trick three, were helpless. THE end of January marked the sad news of the death, aged 82, of Britain's best known bridge player, Terence Reese. Regarded by many as the finest player in the world in his prime, he was barred from international competition after a major cheating scandal at the 1965 World Championships in Buenos Aires. He was cleared of the charge, and, typically, turned the episode to his advantage, writing the bestselling Story of an Accusation. He will be remembered by most people for his brilliant writing: Play these Hands with Me and The Expert Game are two of my all- timefavourite bridge books. In the latter, he outlined methods of extricating extra tricks from thin air, giving them names which still stand today, such as the 'vice', the 'winkle' and the `stepping-stone'. Here is a winkle:

+3 2