DEFENSE REQUIRES PARTNER TO WATCH

Al Boliska, a Canadian actor and writer, said, “Do you realize if it weren’t for Edison, we’d be watching TV by candlelight?”

Some bridge players, when they have made a mistake, say that the light was bad. Of course, it isn’t that they needed more candle power, but they should have paid more careful attention to the cards being played, especially when on defense.

In today’s deal, for example, what happens in four hearts doubled if West is watching his partner’s cards?

This deal occurred in New Zealand nearly 50 years ago during a match between Auckland and Canterbury. In the auction, East opened a vulnerable pre-empt more in keeping with the game today than back then. Probably he was a youngster! South overcalled four hearts, and West confidently doubled.

West led the club ace and continued with the club king. South ruffed and played five rounds of trumps. West, thinking that his partner had to have the spade ace for his bid, continued with the club queen. However, South ruffed and claimed 10 tricks: three spades and seven hearts.

The original scribe who described the action made no comment about this defense. One cannot help but assume that East’s first discard was a discouraging spade three. This must have gone unnoticed by West. Then East should have pitched his spade jack and spade

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10, his two highest spades as suit-preference signals for diamonds.

In tomorrow’s column, we will look at the contract of four spades doubled at the other table. What happened there?