Source: IBPA Column Service OCT. 2019
**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 West. Both Vul
|
 5 2
 6 3
 A 3 2
 A K J 10 4 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
K 7 6 4
Q J 10 4
K 5
Q 9 5 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| 1NT |
DBL1 |
RDBL2 |
Pass |
| 2 |
DBL |
2 |
2NT |
| Pass |
3NT |
Pass |
Pass |
| Pass |
|
|
|
- One-suiter
2. SOS
West led the four of diamonds. Once dummy appeared, declarer counted eight certain tricks. Often it is right to run the long suit. In this case, declarer saw that winning with the king of diamonds and running clubs would force him to make three discards. Then West would gain the lead in hearts, cash the other top heart and play on diamonds, unblocking the queen. Eventually West would take two spade tricks to defeat the contract.
There was another consideration: declarer did not want East to gain the lead. So, he played low from dummy at trick one and took East’s eight of diamonds with the king. The play to the first trick marked East with the jack of diamonds (West would have led the queen of diamonds when holding the jack too and East would have played the queen if West had held only the jack.)
The bidding made it certain that West had the ace and king of hearts. Consequently, declarer played the queen of hearts at trick two as part of his plan to develop a heart as his ninth trick.
West took this with the king and continued with the queen of diamonds. Declarer ducked, then took the diamond continuation with dummy’s now-bare ace, throwing a low spade from hand. Again declarer did not touch the club suit, instead playing a low heart to his jack. West took this with the ace of hearts and exited with a club. Declarer now claimed nine tricks: a heart, two diamonds and six clubs.
Of interest is that, if West had led the queen of diamonds at trick one, declarer would have had to duck in both hands to keep East off lead, otherwise the contract would have failed.
The complete deal:
|
5 2
6 3
A 3 2
A K J 10 4 2 |
|
| A Q J 8
A K 9
Q 7 4
8 7 6 |
|
10 9 3
8 7 5 2
J 10 9 8 6
3 |
|
K 7 6 4
Q J 10 4
K 5
Q 9 5 |
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