Bridge - The Scotsman 17/05/2012

One of the best-known personalities in bridge is Roland Wald, who co-ordinates commentators for the BBO VuGraph. He recently left Denmark for London to watch more cricket, but still works full-time online. This is a favourite deal from the Danish Club Teams Championship.

He played in 3NT after a Puppet Stayman sequence. West led the five of diamonds, giving nothing away. Roland counted only seven tricks. Even if spades were 3-3, the opponents would not allow him to score the fourth spade in dummy, and he might never reach the queen of diamonds. His only chance seemed to be to enlist help from the defenders. He unblocked his second diamond honour and advanced the queen of spades, ducked all round. West discarded a diamond on the jack of spades, which also scored. Now Roland exited with a small heart to West’s nine.

West could not continue diamonds, so led a club to the queen and ace. Roland tried the ten of clubs, hoping East might have Q9 doubleton, but West won the jack and East contributed the four. Now West was in trouble. Rather than lead a club into South’s tenace he switched to the queen of hearts, which was allowed to hold the trick. When he continued with the ten of hearts he gave Roland two heart tricks. King and another club endplayed him for a third time: he had to play a diamond to dummy’s queen.