SWALLOW PARTNER’S, NOT DECLARER’S CARD

Winston Churchill said, “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last.” How is that apropos for today's deal?

Kristoffer Hegge from Norway won the world youth teams and European youth pairs titles in 2014. He was sitting East during a national training session.

South was in six hearts. How did the defense go after West led the club queen?

In the auction, North’s two-no-trump response was the Jacoby Forcing Raise. Three clubs promised a singleton (or void) in that suit. Three diamonds was a controlbid. Then North, in answer to Roman Key Card Blackwood, showed three key cards (two aces and the trump king) and no side-suit king.

At first, South thought he could get home if either diamonds were 3-3 (so that a spade could be discarded from the dummy) or the spade finesse won. Then he spotted a third, even better, chance.

Declarer won with dummy's club ace, ruffed a club in his hand, led a heart to dummy's king, ruffed the last club, played a diamond to the ace and led the diamond six. If East had covered with the seven, South planned to play low from his hand. Here, West would have had to lead away from the spade king or concede a ruff-andsluff. (Or, if West had a diamond to return, either the suit would be 3-3 or the spade finesse would still be available.)

However, Hegge foiled the plan by playing the diamond queen to swallow his partner's jack, what is known as a crocodile coup. Now the contract had to fail.

Copyright United Feature Syndicate (Asia Features) bridge