Aces on Bridge

John Armstrong, who was one of Britain’s top players, died 10 years ago after a highly successful 30-year international career. He was a keen orienteer and a fine pianist, and as a defender he was very good at putting himself into declarer’s mind and giving him a losing option.

The board comes from when Great Britain won the European Championships in Killarney in 1991, and shows both tables contributing to the team’s success.

Both Souths reached six diamonds on the lead of the heart jack. Each won with the ace, drew trumps (East pitching two spades) and took the three top spades. Then they both played a heart to the king and advanced dummy’s last heart.

The Czech East ducked, not wanting to be left on lead, and now when Andrew Robson ruffed, he decided that East’s play indicated that he had the club king.

It would have been a lot simpler to play for the club king onside, but Robson trusted his judgment and played a club to the nine. (Yes, West could have inserted the 10 to give declarer a nasty guess.) East was now endplayed to give declarer a ruff-anddiscard or play a club for him.

Where John Armstrong was East, when the third heart was led, he rose with the queen (pretending to be a man who did want to be left on lead). Declarer duly ruffed, but was convinced by this play that East did not have the club king. So, he laid down the club ace, then led up to the queen and duly went one down.