IF NOT FRATRICIDE, THEN AVOIDANCE

According to R. Buckminster Fuller, who “heft, shake, punch, squeeze, push, crush, rub and try to pull things apart?”

One of those words is getting its biannual outing today. South is in three no-trump. What should he do after West leads a fourth-highest spade eight?

South’s balancing oneno-trump overcall showed 11-14 points. Then, when West bid his second suit, North plunged into the vulnerable game, hoping his partner could work out what to do given the revealing auction.

South started with seven top tricks: one spade (trick one), one heart, three diamonds and two clubs. He presumably had an eighth available by taking the heart finesse, but from where would No. 9 come?

If spades were 6-1, declarer could duck a club to East, but South sensed that the spades were 5-2. Suddenly he saw the solution. He returned a spade at trick two!

If West had not taken all of his spade tricks, declarer would have conceded a club trick to East. But West cashed them. Declarer discarded one heart and one club from each hand, while East threw two diamonds and one heart.

When West exited with a heart, South ran the trick to his queen and returned a heart to dummy’s ace — but what could East discard on this trick? He could not keep four diamonds and three clubs. He was squeezed. This was in effect a fratricide squeeze because West’s taking of his winners brought pressure to bear on his partner.

Fuller was describing children.

Copyright United Feature Syndicate (Asia Features)