QUICK CROSSWORD

Pierre Trudeau said, “The essential ingredient of politics is timing.”

He should have concentrated on bridge! In our game, timing is often critical for winning as many tricks as you elected to take during the auction.

In this deal, how should South play in six spades after West leads a low diamond? What was West’s more effective opening lead?

When South responded one spade, North added two points for his singleton and rebid three spades, promising 15- 17 support ( high- card plus shortage) points. He also had six losers ( two spades, one heart, two diamonds and one club), which is the number for the jump rebid. South used 14- 30 Roman Key Card Blackwood to learn that his partner had either two aces and the spade king or three aces.

South realised that his basic plan had to involve ruffing hearts on the board. So, needing hand entries, he won the first trick with dummy's diamond ace, a key play. Declarer continued with a heart to his ace, a heart ruff low, a diamond to the king and a heart ruff high.

If East had discarded, South would have trumped a diamond in his hand, ruffed the heart jack high and, if East threw a club, led dummy's last trump. Instead, when East overruffed with his ace and returned a trump, declarer won in his hand, ruffed the heart jack, ruffed the diamond eight, drew East’s last trump and claimed.

Then West wondered if he should have found the killing trump lead. Two rounds of trumps would have defeated the slam. Copyright United Feature Syndicate ( Asia Features)