Contract Bridge

Ivy Rivalry

Today’s deal, from a Harvard-Yale bridge match some years ago, provides ample proof of the high caliber of play to be found at the university level.

South, Bill Cole of Harvard, wound up in six spades after the auction shown. His initial one-spade overcall admittedly “kept a little in reserve.” After West made a limit raise in clubs and North raised spades, Cole cuebid to show first-round control of diamonds. When North responded in kind in hearts, South bid the slam.

East won the opening club lead with the king and continued with the ace, ruffed by Cole. He then drew three rounds of trump ending in dummy, taking note of West’s void in spades. Declarer now made the excellent play of a low diamond from dummy, a move designed to find out where the missing diamond honors were located.

After East played low, Cole ruffed and drew these conclusions:

1. East would surely have gone up with the ace of diamonds if he had it, or played an honor from the A-K or K-Q. Also, West would have led a diamond originally if he held the A-K. Therefore, East held the diamond king and West the A-Q.

2. The opposing clubs figured to be divided 5-5, since either opponent would probably have bid differently with six of the suit. Additionally, East must have at most four diamonds, since he would have opened one diamond with five cards in each minor. So East’s distribution might well be 3-1-4-5.

3. This brought Cole to the key question of who had the king of hearts. He reasoned that if West held that card plus five clubs, the A-Q of diamonds and a spade void, he would have bid more than he did. Therefore, East had to have the heart king.

4. So at trick seven, Cole led a heart but did not finesse. Instead, he put up the ace and dropped East’s king, thereby proving himself a bridge player as well as a scholar.