National Post ePaper

BRIDGE

By Paul Thurston Feedback always welcome at tweedguy@gmail.com

When declarer appears to be embarking on a line of play that seems destined to fail, you as a defender should do everything you can to encourage that line of play.

When I declared this challenging notrump game during a recent CBF online team league match, brothers Brian and Bruce Busby (Campbell River , B.C.) followed that advice perfectly and down I went.

After the neutral diamond lead, I could count three spade tricks, four diamonds and the ace of clubs.

Best chance for a ninth (or so i thought!): play on hearts to hope for a 3-3 split or the early arrival of the heart eight with certain other lies of that suit being manageable as well.

Win the diamond to advance the Jack of hearts. Brian Busby artfully won with the King while East started a high-low signal by playing the four to show an even number of cards in the suit.

Back came a second diamond that South won to play the ten of hearts, this time won by the ace while East completed his high-low signal with the three.

A third round of diamonds for South to win and proceed with the final steps of a plan that looked to be working: If East had started with four hearts including the Queen, than a low heart from dummy (after cashing three spade winners) would deliver a ninth trick via the nine of hearts.

Nine with a nine might have been aesthetically pleasing but no cigar this time as East discarded a club on that third round of hearts towards the closed hand and West reeled me in.

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2021-11-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

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