Enterprising bridge from distant galaxies

Particularly if you like Star

Trek, you will probably enjoy Mark Smith’s two books using this show as a backdrop. The first, published in 1990, has been edited and republished as Enterprising Bridge Tales: The Original Stories.

Also out this year is the sequel, Enterprising Bridge Tales: The Next Generation

(both Master Point Press). Here is an instructive deal from the second book that would catch out many players. How should South play in four spades after West leads the diamond 10? As you can see, Stayman is used even by alien races! South might lose one trick in each suit, and if East has the club king and queen, the contract is surely unmakable. As the cards lie, declarer can make his contract by playing low from the board and winning with his diamond ace, then playing a high trump. However, not unnaturally, Lieutenant-Commander Dieter, the starship’s science officer, called for dummy’s diamond jack and captured East’s queen with his ace. Then he led the heart five, but when West won with the king, declarer carefully unblocked dummy’s queen. South took West’s diamond continuation with dummy’s king, played a heart to his 10 and discarded dummy’s last diamond on the heart ace. Declarer ruffed his remaining diamond on the board and played a trump. Dieter lost only one spade, one heart and one club. All Master Point Press books come in both an e-edition and a printed version. Details at masterpointpress.com.