Is It Fact, Fate Or Fantasy?

The biggest puzzle in life is life itself. Why are we here? Why are you you rather than someone else? There are various answers to these questions, including religion and science -- and even 42 (according to Douglas Adams).

Do bridge contracts mirror life? Sometimes you might feel as if they do. You are playing in a contract that needs a finesse to succeed, but deep down you just know that it’s going to fail. Then, when it does, you nod your head knowingly.

However, do you ask yourself if there is another trick sequence that would permit you to avoid relying on that finesse?

In today’s deal, North’s response of two no-trump was the Jacoby Forcing Raise. South liked his sixth trump but didn’t like his doubleton honors, so he settled for the weakest rebid: game in spades.

West led the diamond three. East won with the ace and returned the suit. West shifted to the heart three. Declarer finessed dummy’s queen, but it lost, and back came a heart. South ran all of his trumps, the defenders each keeping three clubs. Then South guessed to finesse West for the club queen, but East produced that honor too: down one.

“I was confident that West had started with 1=4=4=4 distribution, so it was 4-to-3 that he held the club queen,” explained South.

“True,” replied North, “but you didn’t need to guess. Just win trick three with the heart

Win at Bridge Phillip

Alder ace, draw the trump and exit with your last heart. Whichever defender takes that trick must either lead a club or concede a ruff-and-sluff. Either way, you don’t lose a club trick.”