Better Bridge in Barry County Number Five

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

North

                                                                                     ª: 2

                                                                                     ©: 10 8 4

                                                                                     ¨: A K 10 6 5 4

                                                                                     §: 8 7 6

West                                                                                                                      East      

ª: J 8 6 5 3                                                                                                          ª: 9 7 4

©: Q 5                                                                                                                  ©: A K 9 3

¨: Q 8 3                                                                                                               ¨: J 9 2

§: J 10 5                                                                       South                                §: Q 4 2

                                                                                     ª: A K Q 10

                                                                                     ©: J 7 6 2

                                                                                     ¨: 7

                                                                                     §: A K 9 3

Lead: ª5

As Captain M. North finished the last of his Crème brulee and started to sip his after-dinner coffee, he thought back over the afternoon bridge game on board the USS: Barry County Bridge Barge. Most bridge players were quietly finishing their dinner and enjoying the evening coolness on the river. This was the post mortem deal that he as Captain and Bridge Director of the ship was now mulling over. How had 50% of the teams missed this contract while the other 50% had made it with ease? Had there been no plan, no compass to guide them?

The bidding had been routine on all of the hands: North had been the dealer, and bid according to their convention, using a weak two bid, promising six diamond cards, five to eleven points, and not much more. It was a most effective preemptive bid unless it caused problems for the partnership. Is that what happened this time?

The bidding went as follows:

North               East                 South               West

2¨                   Pass                 2NT                  Pass

3¨                   Pass                 3NT                  All Pass

The opening lead: 5ª (Standard lead of fourth down from longest and strongest suit). As South saw the dummy go down, he stopped to make his plan, using a full minute to look over his options. With the spade lead, South saw four spade tricks, two club tricks, and two diamond tricks for a total of eight tricks. He needed nine tricks to make the contract of 3NT.

The ninth trick, then, must come from the heart suit. South formulated his plan: I will win four spade tricks, cutting off communication with the defenders. I will then lead a heart from my hand toward the ©10, planning to eventually set up my J© as my ninth trick.

South then began his plan, calling for ª2 from the dummy and winning trick number one in his hand with the ª10. He next led the ªA, discarding a diamond from the board. Trick number two was in their pocket. On the third play, South confidently played the ªK, knowing that East would now be out of spades. South then led the ªQ collecting the four spade tricks as planned.

South then led the ©2, putting West in a predicament. With only two hearts, West could not afford to duck the trick, and she put up the ©Q, winning the trick for the East-West pair. A lead of the good ªJ was returned, and the East-West team had won two tricks for its side. West next played her ©5, South put up the ©10 and East took the trick with the ©A. Now East was in a predicament. He surveyed the dummy, and he knew that he must not lead a diamond to the solid diamonds on the board. He could take the ©K, or he could lead a small club.

It really did not matter which lead he chose as South had done his homework. The plan was almost complete. If East took his ©K, then South’s ©J was now his winning heart trick. If East tried a sly lead of the §4, South would take the §A and the §K setting up the §9 as a winner.  East and West were both being end-played at this point, not wanting to throw anything away.

East finally led back the ©K. South had finally set up the hearts with the ©J in his hand. He had entries left in his hand with the §A and§K and the good heart trick. All the pressure had been on East because he did not know who had the ¨Q although if South had it, he would have claimed a long time ago with three diamond tricks. But who thinks of those things under intense pressure? He did know that South had the ©J so he knew not to lead his last heart. He finally succumbed to the pressure and led the §4. South took the §K, the ©J, the §A and led the ¨7 to the ¨A and ¨K on the board, making his contract.

Captain M. North reflected on this hand as he wiped the last traces of dessert from his lips. “If East had only led the ¨J, his partner would have taken eventually the ¨Q and if she had saved her ªJ, the contract would have been set with three heart tricks, one diamond trick, and one spade trick. If…if…if….”

Captain M. North stood up from his dessert. “So … a great dessert and a great plan,” he mused. “That combination seems to be a recipe for 100% success.” He smiled as he strolled down the deck toward the galley.

Gerald Stein

February 6, 2012

866 words