Goren Bridge

The battle for overtricks can be a fascinating part of a duplicate pairs competition. It offers opportunities for brilliant play by the declarer and the defenders. Some of these brilliancies would be ignored by rubber bridge players or competitors in a team competition, where overtricks hardly matter.

South won the opening heart lead and counted seven winners. He needed two more and they could only come from the diamond suit, as the defenders could set up their hearts before declarer could set up even one extra club trick.

Accordingly, declarer cashed dummy’s king and queen of spades to unblock his tricks in that suit, led a low diamond to his ace, and another diamond toward the dummy.

A declarer in a pairs game might play dummy’s jack after West played low, hoping for a 3-2 split, which would provide an overtrick if the queen were onside and make his contract even if it wasn’t. He would go down on this lie of the cards. A good rubber bridge player would play low from dummy rather than the jack, taking four diamond tricks and making his contract regardless of the split in diamonds.

But what if West brilliantly played the queen of diamonds rather than a low one on the second diamond? A duplicate player would jump on it with dummy’s king, certain of an overtrick. Alas, down one. A rubber player or a declarer in a team game should duck in dummy anyway, eschewing the overtrick to guarantee his contract. West’s brilliant play would go unrewarded.