Source: Wikipedia
Morton’s Fork is a coup in contract bridge that forces an opponent to choose between:
- letting declarer establish extra tricks in the suit led; or
- losing the opportunity to win any trick in the suit led.
It takes its name from the expression Morton’s Fork.
It appears that South has both a heart and a club loser. Although South can establish another winner in diamonds, just one discard on a diamond honor doesn’t help.
|
 K Q 9 8
 K 9 8
 K Q 9
 K 9 8 |
|
| 3
A 10 5 3
J 10 7 3 2
J 5 4 |
|
2
J 6 4 2
A 8 6 5 4
Q 3 2 |
|
A J 10 7 6 5 4
Q 7
—
A 10 7 6 |
South is in 6 Spades
Opening lead:
J
South receives the lead of the
J against 6
. However, there are two ways that the contract can be made. South might manage to avoid any heart loser. Or, South might take two heart tricks; in that case, South could discard one club on the
K and another club on a diamond honor.
Judging from the opening lead that East holds the
A, South plays the
9 from dummy at the first trick, ruffs in hand, and draws trumps. Hoping that West holds the
A, South leads the
7, executing Morton’s Fork:
- If West takes theA, declarer can win any return, unblock hearts, take a ruffing finesse against the ace of diamonds, then discard two clubs on dummy’s winning diamond andK. In this case South loses only a heart.
- If West ducks South’s lead of the7, declarer wins dummy’sK, takes a ruffing finesse against the ace of diamonds, and throws theQ on the established diamond winner. In this case South loses only a club.
|
Note that declarer must be careful
not to play a high diamond on the opening lead, as East could then withhold the ace. That would force the declarer to choose a discard prematurely. South must get a discard on a diamond honor eventually, but not before West has been forced to decide whether to take the
A or duck it. Only then will South know whether to discard a heart or a club on the diamond winner.
