March 2020 - 62

Advanced Players

My Bridge and Yours
BY FRANK STEWART

frs1016@centurylink.net

♠J98
♥KJ854
♦ K J 10
♣Q5

In a one-session club matchpoint
event, both sides are vulnerable. My
partner and I are a casual partnership and are using simple methods. As
South, the dealer, I hold:

♠ A K Q 10 7 6
♥A
♦AQ
♣ 10 8 3 2

♠A K Q 10 7 6 ♥A ♦A Q ♣10 8 3 2.
I wouldn't look down on opening 2♣,
but I start with 1♠.
North responds 2♥. I jump to 3♠,
forcing, and he raises to 4♠.
Slam, even a grand slam, is possible.
North might hold:
♠J 9 8 ♥K Q J 6 5 ♦7 6 5 ♣A 6,
though with that hand some players
might make an "advance cuebid" of 4♣
over 3♠. I can cuebid 5♦ now, but if
North holds:
♠J 9 ♥K Q J 6 5 ♦K 7 6 ♣Q 7 6,
we might go down at the five level after
the club opening lead I would have
invited.
I think I will just bid slam and let the
defenders try to beat it. The modern
approach is "blast into games, investigate for slams." Experts tend toward
caution in slam bidding because a
losing slam costs a game bonus. But
blasting still has its place; if you know
the values for slam are present, bid it
directly and give the opening leader
no guidance, so I indulge myself with a
jump to 6♠.
Everyone passes, and West mulls and
leads a trump.

62 Bridge Bulletin March 2020

It looks as if my gamble has paid
off. I can count 11 tricks and have
prospects of a 12th trick with the
hearts. When I play dummy's ♠8, East
discards a diamond. I unblock my ♥A,
lead a trump to dummy, ruff a heart, go
back to dummy with a trump and ruff
a heart. East has discarded two more
diamonds on the trump leads, and on
the third heart - alas - West discards a
diamond.
Well, that's the end of setting up the
fifth heart. I think I'm going down, but
I can go down fighting. I cash my last
trump, throwing the ♣5 from dummy,
and three diamonds. The ending is this
as I play the last diamond from dummy:

♠-
♥-
♦-
♣K974

♠-
♥KJ
♦J
♣Q

♠-
♥-
♦-
♣ 10 8 3 2

♠-
♥ Q 10
♦-
♣AJ

East has to find a discard and can't
hold the fort. If he discards the ♣J, I
can exit with a club to endplay him.
If he discards the ♣A to avoid the
endplay, I lead the ♣Q. If West ducks,
I cash the ♥K; if he takes the ♣K, he
must return a club from his 9-7 to my
10-8. Making six! The full deal:
♠J98
♥KJ854
♦ K J 10
♣Q5
♠5432
♠-
♥72
♥ Q 10 9 6 3
♦853
♦97642
♣K974
♣AJ6
♠ A K Q 10 7 6
♥A
♦AQ
♣ 10 8 3 2
After our auction, with North showing a heart suit that might have provided me with discards, West could have
preferred an aggressive club lead.
I was wrong to bid 6♠. Our plus
1430 scored a top, but nobody else got
to slam nor did anyone win 12 tricks.
We would have gotten the same top
for plus 680. Risky slams are better
avoided at matchpoints. If 12 tricks
require good play or good luck, you may
do as well to stop low. I risked a bottom
for nothing.
As to the play, the lesson is never to
give up on a contract. Odd things can
happen when you cash out winners and
force the defenders to discard.
◾
March 2020

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