Source: IBPA Column Service JUL 2022
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 South. Both Vul
6 4 3 2 K Q 8 6 4 10 5 10 5
A 7 5 A 9 5 A K Q J Q 7 4
West North East South
2NT
Pass 3 Pass 3
Pass 31 Pass 4
Pass Pass Pass
1. Smolen, four spades and five hearts Opening lead:K This deal came up in a team game and, after similar auctions, both declarers faced the problem of making ten tricks after receiving the lead of the king of spades. At the first table, declarer won trick one with the ace of spades and cashed the king and ace of hearts. He then played four rounds of diamonds, discarding two clubs from the dummy. After ruffing a club, declarer led a spade from dummy. Alas for declarer, East was able to win the spade and return the jack of trumps, taken by dummy’s queen. When declarer played a spade from dummy, West was able to cash the queen and jack of spades. East took the last trick with the ten of trumps for one down. At the other table, declarer also won the first trick with the ace of spades. Declarer saw that, if trumps were three-two, he would always make ten tricks. He then addressed the problem of whether he could do anything if they were four-one. Declarer saw that he might succeed if the hand with four trumps also had four diamonds and South could score two of dummy’s low trumps by ruffing clubs. South’s next move was to cash dummy’s king and queen of trumps, keeping the ace of trumps as an entry to his hand. When the four-one break was revealed, declarer ran four rounds of diamonds, discarding two clubs from dummy. Declarer’s luck was in: it was East who began with four diamonds, along with his four trumps. So, after ruffing a club in dummy, declarer returned to hand with a trump to the ace. Then he ruffed a second club in dummy for his tenth trick: he made one spade, five trumps and four diamonds The complete deal:
6 4 3 2 K Q 8 6 4 10 5 10 5
K Q J 8 3 8 4 2 A J 9 8 3 10 9 J 10 7 2 9 7 6 3 K 6 2
A 7 5 A 9 5 A K Q J Q 7 4

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