BRIDGE NOTES

North dealer

Both sides vunerable.

♠ A82

♥ AQJ93

♦ QJ10

♣ 94

♠ J 10 5

♥ 6

♦ K754

♣ QJ1083

♠ K94

♥ 75

♦ A9862

♣ AK7

The bidding:

North East South

1 ♥ Pass 2♦ 3♦ Pass 3NT Opening lead- queen of clubs.

West Pass

When there is a sure way to make a contract, declarer should not adopt any approach that might jeopardize it. This principle is selfevident, but the fact is that players occasionally violate it without intending to do so.

Take this case where West led a club against three notrump. Declarer took the queen with the king and tried a heart finesse, losing the jack to East’s king. Back came a club, won by West with the ten, and another club forced out the ace.

South led a heart to the queen, and West showed out. Forced by the bad heart split to turn his attention to the diamond suit, declarer played the queen from dummy and finessed, whereupon West took the king and cashed two club tricks to put the contract down one.

South was certainly unlucky, but, even so, the outcome was entirely his own fault. He could have ensured nine tricks at the start by attacking diamonds instead of hearts, and he should not have allowed himself to be distracted by an alternative, but uncertain, line of play.

All declarer had to do was to lead a spade to the ace at trick two, return the queen of diamonds and finesse. Win or lose, he would make at least nine tricks against any distribution.

In effect, South allowed himself to be diverted from his goal because he happened to be in his hand at trick one, making it more convenient to take a heart finesse than a diamond finesse. Declarers must learn to reject such temptations.

Amberfield contract bridge club

Mitchell movement – 21 May 2024

North/South

1st Judy Emmanuel & Alan MacKay

2nd Diana Loughor-Clarke & Bridget Hauff

3rd Carol Birch & Josie Kelly

East/West

1st Geoff & Bets Richardson 2nd Clive Bromilow & Leslie Appleby

3rd

Conway

Alison Kleyn and Joan