DAILY BRIDGE CLUB
When I watched today’s deal in a duplicate game at my club, North-South were a manicurist and a dentist we call “Tooth and Nail” because that’s how they argue. How their partnership survives amid the rancor is a mystery.
Tooth contented himself with a bid of two spades at his first turn, but when Nail continued with three clubs, Tooth jumped to four spades. West led the king of hearts and then the ace and a third heart. Tooth ruffed East’s queen and was sure that West had the king of spades for his opening bid. So instead of finessing, Tooth led the ace and jack.
West took his king and led a diamond. Tooth won with dummy’s ace and had to get back to his hand to draw the missing 10 of trumps. When he cashed the king of diamonds and ruffed a diamond, West overruffed. Down one.
Then came the inevitable “discussion.”
Nail: “Why did you jump to four spades? You were looking at two heart losers, and my hand was sure to be short in spades.”
Tooth: “All you had to do was pass two spades. With no spade fit, just stop bidding. When you bid three clubs, my hand called for a game bid.”
Nail didn’t notice (mercifully, I suppose) that four spades was cold. After Tooth ruffs the third heart, he takes the A-K of diamonds, then leads the ace and jack of trumps. When West wins, anything he leads next lets Tooth reach his hand to draw trumps and take the rest.
It’s ironic that declarer’s correct technique — extracting a defender’s safe exit cards — is known as a “Dentist’s Coup.” But that’s the whole tooth and nothing but.
West dealer
Both sides vulnerable