BRIDG E

Sometimes being clever isn’t all its cracked up to be!

In a match, the NorthSouth pairs reached three notrump in jig time and the West players settled on a fourth-best club lead after failing to locate a spade to lead.

At one table, East won the King, cashed the ace and continued with the eight to South’s Queen.

Declarer went after hearts: low to the King and back towards the closed hand with bad news arriving in the form of East’s spade discard so South won the ace.

Next came the spade king while hoping the spade ace wouldn’t be followed by another club but, alas, it was: a fast down two.

At the other table, East decided deception was in order so he reversed the normal order by winning the club ace at trick one to continue with the eight.

As might we all, South went for it by playing the ten only to see West produce the Jack and fire back yet another club to his partner’s King. One more club and the spade ace for a fast down one?

Not exactly as East was perhaps so over-awed by his own chicanery in the club suit that he forgot one of the most basic tenets of winning defense: take the setting trick(s) whenever you can!

Instead, East played ace and a second round of spades.

Also gulled by the early club plays, West decided his partner couldn’t have the nine of clubs and that his red suit holdings were squeezed when the two top spades in South’s hand were cashed! Nine tricks after West unguarded his heart Queen.

Seems South was’t the only victim of deception!