Bridge - The Scotsman 23/04/13

ANOTHER hand from the Lady Milne Trophy. North’s 2D cuebid showed a two-suiter with spades and clubs. (An Unusual 2NT shows the same suits, but with more extreme distribution.) When North competed, showing a better than minimum overcall, South tried the 10-trick vulnerable game.

West led a heart, ruffed in dummy. This defence attacked declarer’s trump control, but with three top losers there was nothing to do but accept the force. Declarer tackled clubs, and East won the ace and played a second heart, also ruffed. Declarer saw that five spades and three clubs would not bring enough tricks: she needed a diamond trick and an extra trump trick. She tried to sneak a diamond past East’s ace, but West took the queen and continued the force with a third heart. This defence failed. The third ruff in dummy completed a dummy reversal, giving a sixth trump trick. Declarer played a second club, establishing that suit, and West persevered with a fourth heart. This one was ruffed with the ace of spades, and declarer could draw trump by overtaking the queen with the king and cashing the 109. The double dummy reversal gave declarer seven trump tricks, plus three clubs for her game.

West beats the game by switching to a trump when she wins DA. If declarer clears clubs a second trump makes it impossible to make a ruff without losing a trump trick; if she takes a diamond ruff the defence reverts to the forcing game.