1 week Ago
Some 40 people have joined our Autumn course for beginners, writes Marcus Witt, of Stamford Bridge Club . Split equally between a morning and an evening option, they are progressing through a series of 10 lessons before moving on to a short transitional phase. This is designed to allow the newbies to learn about both bridge etiquette and the technology we use when playing.
Thereafter we hope they will want to join the club when they’ll take part in our supervised sessions before progressing to our competitive events where they’ll play under their own steam. In time it would be particularly rewarding to see some players graduate to the club’s highest standard session, Tuesday nights, which attracts players up to county A team standard. Our new players form the lifeblood of the club and we can be optimistic about our long-term health.
Hand of the Week Every three weeks on a Wednesday morning we run a workshop where we play and discuss eight boards. Often we have a specific topic but occasionally we have a random deals morning where the unexpected can be expected. Today’s hand is taken from one of the latter.
Let’s say the contract is 4S (3N is also feasible). These days we can generate a printout that shows, for all deals, how many tricks can be made in each denomination, by each hand, and by assuming the best plays from both sides. The “oracle” predicts 10 tricks in spades for South.
But how can this be? Declarer, surely, loses a trump, two hearts and, when the finesse of DQ loses, a diamond. The solution is tricky and counter-intuitive in that declarer has to spurn the diamond finesse. East takes HA at Trick 1 and returns a heart to West’s king.
That hand switches to a club. Declarer takes the ace and king, ruffs a club and cashes HJ and DA. Now South plays SA then SK before cashing CJ, throwing a diamond (West now void in trumps).
Declarer exits with a diamond at Trick 11 which West wins. The red suit return guarantees that South makes both spades, with Q 8 sitting over East’s 10 7, a trump coup. Beguiling and beautiful.
Observation This line of play would not be chosen at the table but playing through the hand to reach a double dummy solution (i.e. with a sight of all four hands) can only lead to a better appreciation, and application, of good card play.
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