BRIDGE with Bob Jones

The actual auction is unknown to us. We offer the auction above. West was the late Bobby Richman. Richman was from Cleveland, but made his life in Australia. He became one of the most colorful and beloved characters on the Aussie bridge scene, not to mention one of their finest players.

Declarer won the opening spade lead with dummy’s ace, led a diamond to his king, and a club to dummy’s queen for a successful finesse. The ace of clubs and another club saw East show out and South ruff with the eight of hearts. There were five side-suit tricks and declarer would succeed if he could score seven trump tricks on a cross-ruff. The battle was on to prevent dummy from scoring a trick with the six of hearts.

South crossed to the ace of diamonds, ruffed another club with the 10 of hearts, and led another diamond. Richman ruffed this with the seven of hearts, dummy over-ruffing with the jack. The last club was ruffed with the king of hearts, leaving a four-card ending. Dummy had the spade three and the ace-queensix of hearts. East had the spade queen and the ninefive-three of hearts.

South led a diamond. Richman had to ruff or dummy’s spade would have been discarded, forcing East to give dummy the six of hearts. Dummy over-ruffed with the queen, and East smartly under-ruffed! Had he shed his spade instead, the ensuing spade lead would have end-played him. Dummy’s spade was led, and Richman overtook East’s queen with the king. Any lead from him at this point would ensure the nine of hearts as a trick for the defense.