TEMPT AN OPPONENT WITH A CARROT CARD

Sometimes at the bridge table, you must tempt an opponent into an indiscretion. In today’s deal, South was in four hearts. The defenders began with the club ace, the club king, a club ruff and a spade shift. After winning with dummy’s ace, how did declarer continue?

This deal occurred during the inaugural Women’s World Team Olympiad in Turin, Italy, in 1960, which was unexpectedly won by the United Arab Republic.

In this deal, players from Denmark, who finished third, did well at both tables.

First, the unidentified Danish West led the spade king. Declarer won with dummy’s ace, drew trumps ending in hand and led a low club. West played low in tempo. South, never guessing that West had preferred to lead from a kingqueen holding instead of an aceking, put in dummy’s 10. East won with the jack, and the defenders promptly took one spade and two clubs for down one.

The Danish South, Rigmore

Fraenckel, seemed to have no chance either. But she dangled a carrot that the defender bit. After winning with dummy’s spade ace and drawing trumps ending in the board, she led the diamond six.

East sat for quite some time, wondering if declarer had the diamond jack. Eventually, East played her diamond king. Gratefully, South ruffed, entered dummy with a club and discarded her spade losers on the diamond ace and queen.

In the cold light of day, East realized that if South had had the diamond jack, she would have taken a simple diamond finesse. Declarer had no reason to place the diamond king with East. But well played, Mme. Fraenckel.