Contract Bridge

One of the great fascinations of bridge is the seemingly endless variety of unpredictable outcomes it can produce. Those who have played the game long enough have learned that almost nothing is impossible. This is by way of introduction to today’s hand,

where it seems South must go down one in five hearts, losing a spade and two clubs. But, as already noted, the word “impossible” has no place in the bridge vocabulary. West began by leading

the ace and another spade, declarer ruffing the second spade with dummy’s ten. Three rounds of trumps were then drawn, ending in the closed hand. Even with the ace

of clubs in East’s hand, it’s not easy to see how declarer can avoid losing two club tricks. But South saw a distinct possibility that -- given that West started with nine spades -- was not at all remote. If East held six or more diamonds and three or more clubs including the ace, the contract could not be beaten. Accordingly, declarer next cashed the king

of spades and another trump to produce this position:

South now led his last trump, discarding a club from dummy. East could not afford to part with a diamond, so he discarded a club. Having forced a club discard from East, declarer next crossed to the ace of diamonds and led a club toward his hand. East could take his ace on this trick or the next one, but all he could get was the ace, and the “impossible” contract was home. Tomorrow: Bidding quiz.