Daily Bridge Club
Overstating the point
Cy the Cynic often favors me with suggestions about how to write my columns — on everything from punctuation to figures of speech.
“You need to avoid hyperbole,” Cy told me in the club lounge. “Not one writer in a million can use it effectively.”
I had to agree, but I will say that few players would have brought home today’s contract. After West opened 1NT and East ran to diamonds, South doubled before bidding his long suit. East-West left him to play at two spades — timidly since they could have done well at a diamond or notrump contract.
West led the K-A of clubs and continued with the four, and South ruffed East’s ten. He led a trump to the ace and returned a trump, but East showed out, ending South’s chances for eight tricks. He escaped for down one by playing West for the doubleton king of hearts. Should South make two spades? I think — and this is no exaggeration — that one declarer in a thousand would succeed, but the winning play is logical. The early play marks West with A-K-9-4 in clubs. Since West neither led nor shifted to diamonds, East probably has a high diamond, so West holds the king of hearts. If East had a sixcard diamond suit, he surely would have competed at the three level.
Moreover, to have a chance, South must assume that West’s hearts are K-x, so South must play West for 4-2-3-4 pattern. At Trick Four, South should lead a trump to dummy’s ten. He cashes the ace, leads a heart to his ace and draws trumps. When he leads a low heart next and West’s king falls, South is home. West dealer E-W vulnerable