From sydney to providence, r.I.

The International Bridge Press Association 2017 Book of the Year award went to “Battling the Best” by Sartaj Hans. Hans lives in Sydney, and he describes his team’s run to fifth place in the 2014 Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams in Providence, Rhode Island.

In the diagramed deal, South’s one-club opening showed at least 16 points. Over West’s intervention, North’s double typically indicated 6 or 7 high-card points, but could have been more with no five-card suit or club stopper.

Against four spades, West led the heart three, third- or fifthhighest.

Hans (South) won with dummy’s queen (East played the five) and would have done best to continue with the spade jack.

However, he played a low spade to his 10.

Declarer cashed the heart ace (seven, six, four) and ruffed the heart king (eight, spade four, heart nine).

On the next spade lead from the board, East rose with his ace and shifted to the club eight. West took two tricks in the suit, then led a third round so East could ruff away dummy’s jack. After overruffing, South had to find the diamond queen.

To delay the evil moment, declarer cashed a spade, on which East discarded the heart two.

What did South know? That West had begun with 1=3=3=6 shape, and East with 3=5=3=2. It seemed to be a diamond guess. But Hans wondered why East, a world champion, had been so helpful as to throw the heart two instead of the heart 10, giving South an accurate count.

Reading East correctly, Hans played a diamond to the ace and successfully finessed through East.