Bridge 03/06/2011

Today's puzzle...

THE World Bridge Federation runs an annual fundraising Worldwide Bridge Contest on the first Friday in June – you might find a heat this evening in a local club. This deal, from last year's event, features a well-known deceptive ploy that is hard to counter. East found himself

unexpectedly declarer in 3NT. His 2NT response was Lebensohl, showing a weak hand, and partner's 3NT was a distinct overbid – it must be better to overcall 2NT with a 19-count than to drive to game opposite a partner who may have nothing.

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South led the king of spades, and East ducked. He won the queen of spades with the ace and looked for a way to make nine tricks without allowing South to gain the lead. He tested diamonds with ace, queen and king.

Next he tackled hearts by running the ten. If North wins this trick with the queen he cannot beat the game. Declarer knocks out his ace of hearts and makes ten tricks with one spade, three hearts, four diamonds and two clubs. So he wonwith the ace, persuading declarer that South held the queen. North returned a club to the queen and declarer used his last entry to hand, the nine of diamonds, to repeat the heart finesse for nine "safe" tricks.

But this time North won the queen and returned a heart, stranding declarer in dummy. He could not reach the two heart winners in his hand, and so had to go one down. I am sure he uttered a strangled: "Well defended."

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