ACES ON BRIDGE

There is no denying that if you want to do well at pairs, there are two essential ingredients: You need to be both skillful and lucky. This deal is from the Women’s Pairs in Sanremo, Italy, almost a decade ago at the European Open Championships.

As a passed hand, South, Nevena Senior, playing with Sandra Penfold, was no doubt pleased and surprised to ind herself declarer in three diamonds. It was then up to her to make it.

West led the heart king and continued the suit, allowing the defenders to cash out three heart tricks. Next came a shift by East to the spade 10. What was declarer to make of the hand now?

Senior assumed West probably had the spade queen, so she let East’s spade run around to dummy’s king, then she drew trumps in two rounds, West discarding a club on the second round.

From the fact that West had passed initially, plus the spot cards played so far, Senior thought it likely that East had begun with a 5 2 1 5 shape. And East surely held the club ace, so leading to the club king was a nonstarter. Instead, she cashed the spade ace, denuding East of that suit, then played a club to the 10. East could win the trick, but was endplayed. If she led a club, declarer would pitch her spade loser on the club king; if she played a heart, the ruff-sluff would allow South’s losing spade to vanish.

By Bobby Wolff