BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

The opponents have taken the first four club tricks against your 3NT contract. (South had

♣ AKx and North ♣ Qxxx. South and West discard hearts and dummy a spade). Can you still make the contract after North continues with a heart? onLy if the assumptions I mentioned yesterday prove correct. First, South is to hold ♦ Kxxx, so you win the lead in dummy and play ♦ 10, overtaking with the knave when South plays low because you are going to need to be in hand for phase two.

your next assumption is that north must have the ♠ K because, if South had it, he’d surely have opened as dealer with 13 points. The only honour card you can’t pinpoint is ♠ J, but if north has it you’ll fail anyway.

So the worst scenario with which we can cope is South holding ♠ J9x ♥ xxx ♦ Kxxx ♣ AKx (a near opener). you lead ♠ Q and if north ducks, you’re home with the ninth trick. So he covers and you win, and play off dummy’s remaining heart winners, discarding a spade and a diamond from hand.

on the last heart, South is squeezed; he can’t keep three diamonds and the master spade. All this is a bit advanced, but fascinating!