Try this hand
For bridge hands of interest
“Drop dead” lives on
Most players are aware that after partner opens 1NT, it is possible for responder to perform a rescue operation to a long suit, as South might do with this hand:
SOUTH
♠ Q8643
♥ 52
♦ 32
♣ 9852
NORTH SOUTH
1NT ?
Better Frank than timid
How would you bid this board from a past Trumps Festival of Bridge event?
Dealer North, EW vul.
NORTH
♠ J74
♥ 9
♦ AT42
♣ AKQ87
WEST EAST
♠ 5 ♠ T62
♥ A87643 ♥ Q2
♦ Q976 ♦ KJ85
♣ T6 ♣ J943
SOUTH
♠ AKQ983
♥ KJT5
♦ 3
♣ 52
Coming up trumps
Today’s hand has points of interest in bidding, declarer play and defence. It was submitted by Geoff Dunsford, who played it in a duplicate at Trumps.
Dealer West, EW vul.
NORTH
S Q98642
H AT975
D 83
C —
WEST EAST
S AJT7 S K53
H KQ8 H 32
D K7 D QJT94
C AK76 C 852
SOUTH
S —
H J64
D A652
C QJT953
Hall of fame
The Bridge Hall of Fame was started by the Bridge World magazine in 1964. The founding members were Ely Culbertson and Charles Goren (the only two bridge authorities to be totally dominant in their times) and Harold Stirling Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt, who died in 1970, was the inventor of the modern game of bridge. Known to friends and family as Mike, he was the great-grandson of the shipping and railway tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. He invented contract bridge in 1925, but it was as a yachtsman that he hit the cover of Time in 1930 when he won the America’s Cup. He repeated this success in 1934 and then, in 1937, with his wife as the first female fully-fledged member of an America’s Cup team. (The two of them were posthumously elected to the America’s Cup Hall of Fame in 1993.)
No escape from surround play
In another hand from a past World Bridge Championship, we look at a textbook defensive situation with which few club players are familiar.
Dealer West, both vul
NORTH
♠ Q9753
♥ K32
♦ Q743
♣ 9
WEST EAST (Dummy)
♠ AK ♠ JT42
♥ Q87 ♥ T54
♦ K8 ♦ AT96
♣ AKJ742 ♣ 85
SOUTH
♠ 86
♥ AJ96
♦ J52
♣ QT63
WEST EAST
2C 2D
2NT 3C
3D 3NT
All pass
In this hand from a Senior Teams World Championship, North led the S5 (fourth highest) to the S2, S8 and SA. Declarer cashed the CA then crossed to dummy via the DA in order to lead a second round of clubs to finesse to the CJ. This won but North showed out. Declarer persisted with clubs but had to lose the fourth round to South.
South now switched to hearts; but which heart should South lead? Usually it is right to lead low (such as the fourth highest) when your honours are broken rather than sequential, but on the actual layout, declarer could then duck the trick around to North's HK, and a heart back would then set up declarer's HQ as a winner.
A matter of planning – and timing
Sitting South with the hand shown, you open a strong notrump, partner raises to 2NT (to show 8-9 HCP), and you accept the invitation. Against your 3NT contract, West leads the H7, fourth highest. You try the H10 from dummy and it wins, indicating that West has both missing heart honours (the king and jack). How should you plan the hand from here?
Dealer South, nil vul
NORTH
♠ 532
♥ QT3
♦ QT62
♣ AT4
SOUTH
♠ AQT
♥ A42
♦ KJ54
♣ K53
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
1NT
Pass 2NT Pass 3NT
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