Sunday, October 14, 2001		Bridge

I am delighted that the International Bridge Club is again being shown on television (BBC2).

I appeared in an earlier bridge series but this year Tony Forrester (Great Britain), Bob Hamman (USA), Zia Mahmood (Pakistan) and Christian Mari (France) are battling for 13 episodes.

They are competing for the Hambro Guardian Trophy and the 39 most interesting of the 216 deals will be screened. One of the (unshown) hands gave me an idea:

With North-South vulnerable South dealt and opened one club. West overcalled with Two Hearts (weak) and South ended in Four Spades against which West led the Queen of Diamonds.

You can see the danger — if declarer simply tackles trumps, it is sure that East will win and return his singleton Heart. After he has taken a ruff, that will be four tricks for the defenders.

Is there any way to avert a Heart ruff? Or at least make it difficult for the defenders to find?

There is a curious solution that might work. After winning the opening lead with the King of Diamonds, declarer leads the four of Hearts himself!

If a sleepy West plays low or, after taking his Ace, cannot decide whether his partner’s three is a singleton or not, then declarer is home and dry: For the defenders can no longer come to their ruff.

I would like to report that Tony Forrester found this play and made an impossible contract. He found the play all right but the cards did not lie quite as they do in my diagram and the defenders came to their ruff.

It is a pleasing thought, though. To avoid a Heart ruff, it may pay you to lead the suit yourself.