BRIDGE

A brilliant play at bridge can be exhilarating. It can also be exasperating when there is no reward. South in today’s deal was John Carruthers, from the Toronto area, one of Canada’s leading players for many years.

Carruthers was surprised to be doubled. The deal is from a team game, where you are rarely doubled in a part-score contract, especially by an opponent whose suit has been raised. Carruthers thought that West might have overcalled on a four-card suit. That would make West’s hand look better defensively. West started the defense by cashing three heart tricks. Another player might have cashed his ace of spades at this point, then sat back and waited for his trump trick. This West did better by shifting to his singleton diamond.

Carruthers saw that his only hope was to hold his trump losers to one. West, however, seemed certain to hold four clubs to the jack for his double. There was a slim chance that East started with a singleton nine of clubs and Carruthers could pin it by leading the 10. Backing his judgment with his play, Carruthers led the 10 of clubs from his hand and played low from dummy when West followed with the two. Carruthers was elated when East followed with the nine! A club to the king and a diamond back to his hand saw his elation turn to despair when West ruffed. West could have rubbed salt in the wound by underleading his ace of spades for another diamond ruff, but he settled for cashing his ace of spades for down one.