Bridge - The Scotsman 13/01/2012

Friday’s puzzle...

THIS deal from the semi-finals of the European Champions Cup shows that even experts may fail to appreciate the importance of small cards. At all four tables West played in 4S after a strong no-trump opener and transfer sequence.

North led the king of clubs. Declarer drew trump, and two Souths fell from grace by discarding a club. Declarer simply knocked out the queen of clubs to establish two winners on which to discard two diamonds from dummy. The Dutch defender clung to his clubs, and declarer tried the diamond finesse for his contract, but it was not his lucky day.

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At the fourth table South played the six of clubs on partner’s king, and the German declarer Ludewig played the hand brilliantly. He drew trump, cashed the king and ace of hearts, then played the eight of clubs from dummy, covered by the nine, ten and queen. North was endplayed: he had no spades; a heart gives a ruff and discard; a diamond gives two diamond tricks – in either case dummy’s third diamond is discarded on a club. So he returned a club, through partner’s 74, to declarer’s J5. Declarer won the seven with the jack, ruffed the five and took a losing diamond finesse! He did not realise that his five was a winner, just as South failed to appreciate the need to keep his 976 intact at trick one.

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