Contract Bridge

No doubt the most grueling event on the American Contract Bridge League’s annual tournament calendar is the three- day Reisinger Teams. The format is board- a- match, which means that a team can win or lose a board by as little as 10 points, so every trick is critical.

Because stamina is a major factor, most teams have six players, allowing two to rest while the other four play. Traditionally, a disproportionately low number of women take part in the Reisinger, and very few of them make it to the final day.

For these reasons, the accomplishment of Rita Shugart in the 1998 Reisinger is all the more remarkable. Playing on a four- member team comprised of Andy Robson, Geir Helgemo and Tony Forrester, she won the event, becoming the first woman to do so since the legendary Helen Sobel in 1957.

On today’s deal from the semifinal, Shugart ( East) made the key play to assure the defeat of a doubled contract. She won Robson’s club lead with the ace and returned a club.

Declarer took the king, played the A- K of spades and ruffed a spade. South then led the club queen, ruffed low by Robson and overruffed in dummy. Declarer ruffed another spade, then led a diamond to the king, losing to Shugart’s ace.

After cashing the diamond jack, Shugart paused for thought. Robson had to have four trumps for his double, had followed to four spades and had shown out on the third club, so his pattern was 4- 4- 3-2. If she played a third diamond, declarer would ruff in dummy and duck a heart to West, forcing him to lead from the king of hearts into South’s A- Q for his eighth and ninth tricks.

To forestall this, she therefore returned a club. This allowed Robson to ruff with the jack and exit with his carefullypreserved third diamond, assuring that he would score the heart king at the end for a one- set trick.