BRIDGE JACK STOCKEN

Today’s hand comes from a county teams of four competition.

The most exciting hand of the day was this one: there were ten different contracts, the best for North South being 3♦ doubled plus two for 670, the best for East West 6♠ doubled down six for 1400.

In the winners’ match, at one table East bid 5♥ over South’s 5♦ and was a trifle dismayed when the defence took the first four tricks: ace of spades, spade ruff, club ruff back and another spade ruff. He needn’t have been.

At the other table, West opened 1♣ and over East’s 1♥, South bid 2♥, a conventional bid showing the other two suits. West bid 3♣ and, over East’s jump to 4♥, South bid 4♠, which West, understandably, doubled.

North, now bid 4NT, saying

“five diamonds is the contract, but best played from your side”. So South bid 5♦ and was duly doubled.

Declarer ruffed the opening ace of clubs lead, played the ace of spades, ruffed a spade and came back to hand with a club ruff, East discarding a spade.

He ruffed a spade with the king of diamonds, over-ruffed with the ace by East, who played ace and king of hearts.

But declarer was now in control: he ruffed the second heart and was able to ruff out East’s last spade and draw trumps. Plus 550 and a nice swing.

Five diamonds always makes even against the best defence of an initial lead of two rounds of trumps, since declarer can employ a ruffing finesse against West’s king and queen of spades

(on the bidding he is certain to have both) and hope the nine falls. It does.

As it happens 3NT plus two is the only game contract East/West can make. Not surprisingly, no-one was in it.