LIFE & CULTURE

In the Open Pairs at the ACBL’s Spring NABC, Shan Huang of Toronto pulled o≠ some highway robbery as today’s West. Against four spades, Huang led the jack of

hearts, and declarer won with the king and led the jack of diamonds: king, ace. He led a second diamond to his nine, and Huang won and exited with a heart to dummy’s ace.

Wanting to start the trumps from his hand, South ruffed dummy’s low diamond and led a trump: five, king, deuce. He next threw a club on the ten of diamonds, and Huang ruffed ... with the ACE of trumps. He got out with a club, and South took the A-K and ruffed a club. He must have been stunned when Huang overruffed with the ten. East’s queen also scored: down one.

If West ruffs the fourth diamond with his ten, as most of us would, South will lead another trump when he gets back in, dropping the A-Q and making his game.

After the king of trumps won, perhaps South should have led another trump. Only 16 points were missing, and South might have judged that West had opened a light hand and East, for his raise to two hearts, had both black-suit queens and the queen of hearts.

South might have succeeded despite Huang’s excellent falsecard. If the ace of trumps were a true card, South had already gone wrong by not leading a second trump earlier. He was going down one since East’s remaining Q-10 would be worth two tricks. True, if South led a second trump, he might go down two, but his matchpoint score might not be much worse.

East dealer, Both sides vulnerable

by Dana Summers