Bridge

EVERY year one of the five Camrose countries gets to enter a second team.

This year it is Scotland’s turn so there were six happy pairs after the trials instead of the usual three. The Scotland team will be Piper and Wilkinson, Short and Walker, Matheson and Sime (npc Alan Goodman). The SBU team will be Gordon and Whyte, Male and McGinley, Adamson and Symons (npc Paul Gipson).

This hand caused the triallists more problems than might be expected. Every N-S reached 6S but only half made it.

A heart lead makes it easy but so does a black suit. On a trump, for example, declarer should win in dummy, club Ace then ruff a club low and play a trump to hand. When the 3-2 split appears, ruff another club, return to the diamond Ace, draw the last trump and claim. A diamond lead will probably defeat 6S although declarer can in theory still prevail via a strip squeeze.

At one table West led a trump but declarer erred by drawing trump, West discarding a club. Then South played three rounds of diamonds, pitching a heart. A heart went to the King and Ace and now West, instead of cashing another heart, exited in diamonds.

That trick squeezed his partner in hearts and clubs so the slam made.