BRIDGE

Improvisation unquestionably has its place in bridge, but the opportunities for its use are actually few and far between.

Consider this deal from a high-class rubber-bridge game many years ago. South’s dramatic leap to six diamonds was certainly reasonable, even though he lacked 100% assurance of success. But the odds favoured finding his partner with a singleton or void in clubs, or the ten of diamonds plus the spade queen or heart king

As it happened, though, North showed up with a doubleton club and a singleton low trump, so the contract was in distinct jeopardy.

Nevertheless, declarer devised a scheme that gave him a very good chance to make the slam.

He won the opening club lead with the ace and cashed the A-K-Q of trumps. He planned to play the ace of hearts and A-K of spades next before intentionally conceding a trump to West’s ten.

South’s willingness to lose a trump trick unnecessarily was surely worth the price, since he would get back two tricks in exchange after West’s forced return of either a heart or a spade to dummy’s only two high cards. These would in turn provide a parking place for declarer’s two club losers.

But unfortunately for South, he was facing a foeman worthy of his steel. West had anticipated exactly what declarer might do. So when South played the A-K-Q of trumps early in the hand, he shrewdly followed with the 6-8-10, retaining the deuce.

As a result of West s remarkable foresight, there was no way for declarer to put him on lead, so the deal ended with South eventually being forced to concede two club tricks to East for down one.