Source: IBPA Column Service Jun 2021
Tim Bourke
Tim Bourke
**Source: wikipedia: Tim Bourke “is an Australian bridge player and writer. His joint project with Justin Corfield “the Art of Declarer Play” won the International Bridge Press Book of the Year award in 2014. IMPs Dealer East. Both Vul
K 9 6 Q 8 6 3 K 6 A 10 3 2
A 7 5 4 2 5 Q 8 4 K Q J 4
West North East South
1 1
Dbl 2 Pass 3
Pass 4 End
West led the nine of hearts, which held the trick. West continued with a heart and declarer ruffed. Declarer counted six top tricks in addition to the one he had just scored. Declarer made a plan on the assumption that spades were 3-2 and that one of his club winners might be ruffed. Declarer’s plan was to cash his top trumps and try to score four clubs and two more heart ruffs in hand. The flaw in that plan was that if a defender ruffed while going about this endeavour, declarer would need a diamond trick. As East was almost sure to hold the ace of diamonds, the order of play would not matter to declarer if West held the third trump: declarer would make a diamond trick eventually. So, declarer turned his mind to the event of East holding a third trump. Declarer’s solution was neat: he cashed the ace and king of spades and then led a low diamond from dummy! What could East do? If he rose with the ace of diamonds and cashed a trump declarer would make four trumps, four clubs and two diamonds for his contract. When East played low on the six of diamonds, declarer’s queen won and he was almost home. After a low club to dummy’s ten, declarer ruffed a heart then played the king of clubs to the ace. The only tricks East could take were his trump winner and the ace of diamonds since declarer would make either four club tricks or three clubs and a diamond ruff in dummy. The complete deal:
K 9 6 Q 8 6 3 K 6 A 10 3 2
Q 3 9 4 J 9 7 5 3 9 7 6 5 J 10 8 A K J 10 7 2 A 10 2 8
A 7 5 4 2 5 Q 8 4 K Q J 4

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