Source: IBPA Column Service AUG 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
A K J 10 8 6 4 J 6 4 2 Q 9
Q 6 4 J 9 7 5 2 A K Q A 3
West North East South
1NT
Pass 21 Dbl 22
Pass 4 End
  1. Transfer
  2. 3+-card spade support
Both North/South pairs in a team game reached four spades via a transfer auction where the bid of two spades promised at least three-card support. Incidentally, both South players did well not to redouble two hearts even though there are eight defensive tricks available there. West would surely have made a rescue move and East/West can make nine tricks in clubs simply by playing North for the queen of clubs. The defence at both tables began with a heart lead from West. East cashed the queen and king of hearts, then continued with the eight of hearts. Declarer played the nine from hand and West ruffed with his 9. At the first table, declarer overruffed with the 10 and drew two rounds of trumps with the queen and ace, discovering that the suit was originally four-one. Declarer knew there were nine major-suit cards on his right to two on his left. So, on a vacant-places argument, he knew that the odds were very much in favour of the king of clubs being on his left. Accordingly, declarer drew East’s trumps with the king and jack, cleverly *jettisoning his ace of clubs in the hope that the queen of clubs would provide the entry to dummy’s jack of diamonds. Declarer continued by cashing his three top diamonds and then led the three of clubs. Unfortunately, it was East who had the king of clubs and declarer finished with only eight tricks.
  • Source: the Bridge Player’s Dictionary, compliled and edited by Randall Baron, Jettison Squeeze: To discard a high honor (usually ace or king), often to create an entry for partner or to unblock a suit.
At the second table, declarer played as safely as possible. Accordingly, he discarded a club from dummy on the third round of hearts. West shifted to a diamond in the hope of giving his partner a ruff. Declarer won with the queen of diamonds and drew East’s trumps in four rounds. Next, he cashed the ace and king of diamonds and the ace of clubs before ruffing a club in dummy to take his tenth trick with the J. The complete deal:
A K J 10 8 6 4 J 6 4 2 Q 9
9 3 10 9 8 7 3 10 8 6 5 4 2 7 5 3 2 A K Q 10 8 4 K J 7
Q 6 4 J 9 7 5 2 A K Q A 3

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