Daily Bridge Club

Castle bridge

“We had him, you fool, and you let him get away,” the Sheriff of Nottingham railed at the hapless Sir Guy of Gisburne.

The two were opposed by Robin Hood and Little John in a castle match. Against six clubs, the Sheriff led a trump, preventing Robin, the declarer, from ruffing both his low hearts in dummy. Robin won and tried a spade to dummy’s queen.

Sir Guy took the king and saw that declarer could set up the spades with a ruff. To kill dummy’s late entry, East shifted to a low diamond: three, queen, ace. But Robin ruffed a diamond, took the A-K of hearts, ruffed a heart and ruffed a diamond. When Sir Guy’s king fell, Robin drew trumps and went to the ace of spades to take the jack of diamonds for his 12th trick.

“It’s the dungeon for you, Gisburne,” the Sheriff snarled. “Lead the king of diamonds at Trick Three, and the varlet goes down.”

The Sheriff was wrong. Robin could take the ace of diamonds, ruff a diamond, cash the A-K of hearts, ruff a heart in dummy, ruff a diamond and run his trumps. When he led his last trump at the 11th trick, West would have to save the queen of diamonds to beat dummy’s jack, and East would have to save a heart to beat declarer’s last low heart. Nobody could keep two spades, so dummy would win the 13th trick with the six!

South could also succeed from the start by ruffing two diamonds in his hand and one heart in dummy, eventually throwing East in with the fourth heart to lead a spade from his king. North dealer N-S vulnerable