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Rhodes, the 1996 Bridge Olympiad. During the round robin Denmark plays Chinese Taipei (the political correct name of Taiwan). Liao ignores the adage the five level belongs to the opponents by 'bidding one more' to 5♥. The task for the Danes is to defeat this contract. | S/EW | ♠ | A Q 8 6 5 2 | | | | ♥ | J 8 7 | | ♦ | 8 7 3 | | ♣ | K | | | |  | ♠ | 9 4 3 | | | | ♥ | 9 | | | | ♦ | A Q 10 5 4 | | | | ♣ | 9 5 3 2 |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| Christiansen | Liao | Blakset | Hengk | | — | — | — | 1♥ | | 2♣ | 3♣1 | 3♦2 | 4♥ | | pass | pass | 5♣ | pass | | pass | 5♥ | pass | pass | | pass | | | |
1 Heart fit, 10+ points
2 'This is where my strength is' (East plans to support clubs later, and so he does) Suddenly Blakset remembers an urgent appointment in another part of the island. Even before his partner's lead, he presses his cards in your hand and hurriedly leaves the premises.
You take his East seat and see partner West lead the ♦K. How do you imagine the defence should go?
Solution In practice Blakset encouraged in diamonds. Christiansen had no problem recognising that signal, but... Oh well, see for yourself: | S/EW | ♠ | A Q 8 6 5 2 | | | | ♥ | J 8 7 | | ♦ | 8 7 3 | | ♣ | K | | ♠ | J 7 | | ♠ | 9 4 3 | | ♥ | 6 5 4 2 | ♥ | 9 | | ♦ | K | ♦ | A Q 10 5 4 | | ♣ | A Q 10 8 6 4 | ♣ | 9 5 3 2 | | | ♠ | K 10 | | | ♥ | A K Q 10 3 | | ♦ | J 9 6 2 | | ♣ | J 7 |
West really would have liked to play another diamond but hadn't any left. He cashed the ♣A, but EW got no more tricks: East suffered on seeing declarer pitching his remaining diamonds on dummy's spades.
True, experts sometimes lead the king in partner's suit from Kxx or even Kxxx. The idea is to take a look at dummy: perhaps a switch through one of dummy's honour cards is needed. Probably this is what kept Blakset from overtaking the ♦K with the ♦A, the obvious looking defence. (If East had done so, he wouldn't have known what to play after the second diamond if West had followed suit. A third one, trusting West to have lead from ♦Kx? Or a club, necessary if West had led from the ♦Kxx and possessed the ♣A? By letting the the ♦K win the trick, East thus gave West the reigns: West would first cash the ♣A and only then play his second (...) diamond.
Critics suggested that West perhaps could have led the ♣A, and only then play the ♦K. This makes it easier for East to overtake. After all West then has taken his look at dummy...
Of course, this is all true, but not overtaking the ♦K still remains an odd play. Or, as VuGraph commentator Edgar Kaplan put it: 'Signalling is fine, but shouldn't you take things in your own hand?' (meaning: overtaking with the ♦A). 'After all, you are much more reliable than your partner...' |