Bridge

Richard Oshlag had a terrific week at the Spring NABC. After placing in three events, Oshlag, playing with Mark Dahl, won the “Fast Pairs.” (No, the players didn’t forgo food those days; they had 11 minutes to play two deals, not the usual 15.)

To win a national title, you must benefit from opponents’ errors. Oshlag, today’s West, led a club against three diamonds. (South couldn’t bear to pass North’s two spades, though that would have been a winning call.) South ruffed the second club and led a spade. Oshlag took his ace and led a high club, and South ruffed again.

South then led the king of trumps, and West won and led his last high club, ruffed. When South next tried the A-K and a low heart, Dahl took the Q-J and, at Trick 11, led a trump. South ... finessed with his ten! Down two, minus 200, a fine result for EastWest.

South’s trump finesse was wrong. If East had J-x left, he would have exited with a spade, not giving declarer a chance for a winning finesse.