The Bridge Column

Today’s deal offers an example of the different thinking required at different forms of scoring. In a pairs game, scored at matchpoints, every trick is important. A declarer would try to win the first trick with dummy’s ace of hearts, hoping that West has only seven hearts. He will draw trumps and take the diamond finesse. Should the diamond suit provide four tricks, he will discard his last heart and take the club finesse for a possible 13 tricks. That line of play would lead to defeat on this lie of the cards. East will ruff the ace of hearts at trick one and shift to a club. South will have to take the finesse. West wins with the king, cashes a heart and exits safely. East will win a diamond trick later for down one. At rubber bridge or in a team game, where simply making your contract is the priority, South should duck the opening heart lead in dummy and also duck the heart continuation. The third heart will be ruffed by East and over-ruffed by South. South will draw trumps and take the losing diamond finesse. East will shift to a club, but South will rise with his ace and discard the queen of clubs on a diamond. Making four. This line guaranteed 10 tricks but gave up on taking any more than 11 tricks, which would have been the result with a lucky diamond position. The location of the king of clubs would not be important.*