With Bob Jones
East-West vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
S-J 6 3
H-9 5
D-10 7
C-A Q J 8 4 2
WEST EAST
S-9 7 2 S-4
H-7 4 H-A J 8 6 3
D-K 8 5 2 D-J 9 6 4 3
C-10 9 7 5 C-K 3
SOUTH
S-A K Q 10 8 5
H-K Q 10 2
D-A Q
C-6
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1S Pass 2S Pass
4NT Pass 5D Pass
6S Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: Two of D
West got off to the unfortunate lead of a low diamond, allowing South to win his queen. The slam could always be made by leading a club to the ace and ruffing a club, but lacking X-ray vision, South took the best line by trying to ruff two hearts in the dummy — one low and the second with dummy’s jack. This would succeed whenever the missing hearts split 4-3.
Declarer led the king of hearts from hand at trick two, East winning his ace and returning a diamond. South won, cashed the queen of hearts and led a third heart. West ruffed in with his seven, forcing dummy to ruff with the jack.
South judged correctly not to try and ruff another heart. He cashed every single one of his trumps, coming down to the 10 of hearts and six of clubs opposite dummy’s ace-queen of clubs. East, who had to keep his jack of hearts, was forced to bare his king of clubs.
Decision time! Had East started with the king of clubs, it would be singleton now and a club to the ace would drop it. Perhaps the club king was with West and a simple finesse would do. Clyde Love, in his classic book, “Bridge Squeezes Complete,” said that a good declarer in this position would play to the ace of clubs. Should a finesse be working, so what — if a squeeze worked, oh, boy!
South played a club to the ace. Oh, boy!
(Bob Jones welcome readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency, LLC., 16650 Westgrove Dr., Suite 175, Addison, TX 75001. E-mail responses may be sent to
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