June 2010 - 49

Misplay These
Hands With Me
Allez France
Every autumn the club champions
of the nations that occupied the leading positions in the European Team
Championships compete for the
Champions Cup. This year's event is
in France, and despite the decline of
the pound against the euro, my partner is keen to stock up on wine, so we
have driven to Paris. Having miraculously emerged unscathed from the
rigors of La Perifique (the Paris ring
road), we are performing modestly
when I pick up this hand as South (no
one is vulnerable):
ࡕA 9 6 ࡖ5 ࡗK ࡔA Q J 10 9 8 5 2
We are playing Precision, so I might
upgrade my hand and open 1ࡔ. Given
my unbalanced hand, however, I expect some intervention, so I decide
to get my main asset into the game at
once and open 2ࡔ (natural and limited). West overcalls 2ࡗ.
Partner has nothing to say, and
when East responds 4ࡖ, the other
red suit makes its appearance. I don't
have much defense - the ࡗK now
appears to be waste paper - so I go
on to 5ࡔ. West doubles and leads
the ࡖA, and the anxiously awaited
dummy appears:
ࡕ 10 7 5 4
ࡖ 10 7 4
ࡗAQJ6
ࡔ74
ࡕA96
ࡖ5
ࡗK
ࡔ A Q J 10 9 8 5 2
I see West has overcalled without

any of the top honors - for the lead,
no doubt. When East follows with the
ࡖK, West switches to the ࡗ9. That's
annoying - I was hoping West would
play another heart. Still, I have a fair
chance and I go up with dummy's
ࡗA. I continue with the ࡗQ, planning to discard a spade, but East ruffs
with the ࡔ6. I will still be all right if
the ࡔK is singleton, but having overruffed, when I cash the ࡔA, East
discards a heart. I have to lose to the
master trump and also surrender two
spade tricks, so I am minus 300. The
full deal:
ࡕ 10 7 5 4
ࡖ 10 7 4
ࡗAQJ6
ࡔ74
ࡕK3
ࡕQJ82
ࡖA8
ࡖKQJ9632
ࡗ 10 9 7 5 4 3 2
ࡗ8
ࡔK3
ࡔ6
ࡕA96
ࡖ5
ࡗK
ࡔ A Q J 10 9 8 5 2
Post mortem
West's overcall and subsequent double should have made it clear that the
ࡔK could not be unguarded. It also
pointed to the fact that East must be
very short in diamonds. I could have
made it either of two ways, but one is
not easy to see.
The direct way is to win the ࡗA at
trick two and play the ࡔ7, following
with the 5 from hand (if you make the
mistake of covering the ࡔ7, West can
foil your plan by playing low). If West

Mark Horton
ducks the ࡔ7, you are still in dummy
to take two discards on diamonds and
you will then make an overtrick. More
difficult is to win the ࡗK and play the
ࡔ5 or ࡔ2 from hand. If West ducks,
the ࡔ7 puts you in dummy. Again
you make an overtrick after pitching
spades on good diamonds.
❒

Bridge Cruises with
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Serenity - Jazz Exploration
December 11-21, 2010

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September 19 -26, 2010
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Dec. 26, 2010 - Jan. 2, 2011
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June 2010 Bridge Bulletin

49
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2010
