| Show CULBERTSON on CONTRACT by Ely c abers Worlds World's Champion Player and Greatest Card Analyze I INADEQUATE ADEQUATE DEFENSE Occasionally a hand is played atthe at nt atthe the Contract table the results of which are arc so amazing that in analyzing analyzing zIn z In ing them it l is almost impossible to determine how they were reached Either the Declarer fails to realize the trick-taking trick possibilities of his hand or defending players fail to utilize the defens defensive c power of theirs so that cards otherwise almost worthless worth less assume for the moment the guise of Aces and Kin Kings s and take tricks ricks with triumphant abandon Such a hand is one played recently in n a team team four of four match at the Des Des- chapelles club New York South South Dealer Both sides vulnerable A J 7 2 27 V 7 1 7 0 o A 7 A 10 S 6 G 5 2 A 33 8 E 3 N 9 S d J 6 6 5 Q 9 84 0 o Q G 54 6 Ej W Ei EO 0 10 1093 0 3 7 K Q J 3 S S. S eo 9 97 7 A Q 5 4 47 7 A K 10 3 2 0 o K J 8 2 tT 4 Tho Tim Bidding Figures after aHer bI bids s in table refer to numbered explanatory paragraphs South West North East 19 7 Pass 2 24 Pass Pass 3 1 Pass 44 2 Pass Pass Pasa Pass 1 Norths North's North's Norths three-spade three bid is perhaps questionable but the unbalance of his hand suggests trying out aUthe all aU the suit roads to game same b before forc se the shortest but perilous trump no-trump route 2 South 2 South has adequate support foi for forthe the spade suit although realizing that North does not hold more than four spades The failure to support hearts and South's singleton single ton club suggest the danger of play at no trump Against the contract of four spades East opened the thc Ten of ot diamonds The Knave was played from rom Dummy West pla played cd the Queen and North won with the Ace North now led lcd the singleton heart and followed with the King from Dumm Dummy discarding a club A small heart was then led and trumped in the closed hand North now led the Ace of clubs and the deuce of clubs was trumped with a low spade in Dummy The rhe King of diamonds was then led followed by a small diamond which Declarer trumped Tho next lead from the North hand was a club which East elected to discard the thc heart Queen This was a bad play and gave the Declarer an extra trick The Thc trick was trumped with the spade five in Dumm Dummy and the last diamond led and trumped with the spade Ace East of course was forced to under under- trump North now led another round of clubs and nothing East could do could prevent pi event the Declarer from making making mak mak- ing another trick The Declarer thus had the satisfaction tion of scoring all the tricks but the two final ones on a hand hind upon which games appeared doubtful if there was an unfavorable break brenk in trumps The plan of play adopted here was wa the only one through which game garni could have nave been made To have hav played the thc hand hond other than as a n crossruff cross cross- ruff would have resulted in losing control of the trump situation en At other tables this hand was South but the thc played at trump no-trump by unfavorable distribution of all the suits caused the defeat of a game contract contract contract con con- tract wherever it was undertaken TODA TODAY'S YS Y'S POINTER The play pIny of a hand at Contract Bridge not only involves a good plan but the immediate capitalization of defensive errors b by the opposing players Inadequate defense permits the thc making of many a lost contract Copyright 1932 Ely Culbertson |
