With Jack Stocken

Today’s hand comes from the Seniors Trials. 3♣ was “Check back”, artificial and asking for more information. South’s bid of 3♠ was natural, looking for a spade fit but why bother with enough points for 3NT (nine easy tricks) and poor spades.

North took fright at this point with only Kx of hearts and so bid to 5♦; it was teams so the prospect of an overtrick in No Trumps was not relevant, just the safest contract being the priority.

West led the ♥3 against 5♦ which East won with the Ace and returned a heart to dummy’s King. Declarer could see three losers (two spades and a heart) with no clear way of getting rid of a loser or creating a winner. Perhaps declarer could eliminate the side suits and exit with a losing spade…

So declarer played out the AK of clubs and then ruffed a club in hand with ♦9. He returned to dummy with the Ace of diamonds, ruffed a fourth club with the ♦J and drew the last trumps with the King of diamonds.

Having eliminated the clubs, declarer played a spade to dummy’s Ace but East was now alert to declarer’s plan and cleverly jettisoned the King of spades under dummy’s Ace! Declarer now exited with a losing spade but West could overtake East’s ♠10 with the ♠J and cash the ♠Q for one down.

It was vital for East to throw his King of spades under dummy’s Ace; if East hadn’t, then he would have won the second spade with the King and been End-played, forced to lead a heart and give declarer a ruff and a discard (ruff in hand and discard dummy’s spade loser). 5♦ made.

Could declarer have done better? Psychologically, yes. Having won the heart in dummy, if declarer immediately cashes the Ace of spades at trick three, it is much more difficult for East to throw the King under it, as South might easily possess the Queen of spades and this would have cost East a trick.

Diary Date: bridge courses for Intermediates and Improvers start again on January 16 in Helmsley and Harrogate. Full details www. yorkshirebridge.co.uk