Bridge

Thursday's bridge...

THERE are amazing ways to deal with apparently inevitable trump losers. On this deal West opened with an artificial strong 2C and rebid 2NT to show

22-23 balanced. A Stayman auction now got him to 4H. North led a club, to the jack, king and ace, giving declarer five tricks in the side suits. He

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could see that he had to lose at least one trump, and at least two diamonds, so he needed a bit of luck. He cashed just one top heart, then the ace and queen of spades. He entered dummy by ruffing a club, discarded a diamond on the king of spades, and led the ten of diamonds, South could not yet be sure of the distribution, so he rose with the ace and returned a diamond. West won the king. All had gone well, but when he cashed the other top heart South showed out. This was the position:

Declarer had made eight tricks: three spades, two hearts, a diamond, a club and a club ruff; and lost only one. He had to lose two hearts, so

could not afford to lose another diamond as well. He ruffed his winning queen of clubs and made his tenth trick by ruffing dummy's last spade as North helplessly followed suit. The defensive tricks coalesced as North had to ruff his partner's diamond winner.

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