Salt Lake Telegram | 1950-11-01 | Page 11 | Better Bridge

r BETTER BRIDGE By Charles H H. Go Goren Garen ren r. r East West Nest vulnerable South I deals t- t e. e Art i I rI 7 4 3 WEST EST EAST Iv I Ii 8 7 5 1109 J 1 U 1092 1 SOUTH SOUTHAl Al AK Ii Q 8 6 3 2 1 A 1 Q 6 d 6 The bidding South e West t North East Enst 1 A Pass 2 A Pass 4 i. i A Pass Pass Pass Opening lead king king- of hearts On days when finesses are not working worlIng a a subtlety little subtlety might achieve results that could not be brought about by the use of straight power plays The bidding in the hand above was brief and to the point While West Vest might have been tempted to tomake tomake tomal mal make e a shaded take out double of the opening bid had he not been vulnerable under conditions as they were any action by him would have shown a slight disregard disregard disregard gard of monetary considerations West Vest opened the king of hearts and East followed with the seven This was a mild type of signal There was no other suit that he wished his partner to lead and yet he was not sufficiently well fixed in hearts to ask asle violently for its continuance The seven was his next to the lowest and indicates some sonic measure of doubt in East's mind If he were quite sure that he wished hearts continued he would signal with the nine At any rate West Vest continued with the thc ace and when the queen dropped followed with the jack It was plain to the declarer that the success of the contract hinged upon the location of the king of diamonds If the finesse was on there was nothing to it If not there was apparently nothing that could be done about it For a moment the declarer toyed with the involved idea of some sort of ofa a strip and end play If the trumps were evenly e divided di a club could be ruffed and then if West Vest held heldI I the club he could be thrown in with it and forced to l lead ad a dia dia- mond But this was too complicated complicated complicated and depended upon finding too specific a holding Declarer hit upon a more direct way On the third heart lead he I discarded the six of diamonds The psychological effect of such a play I I is very definite If declarer appears appears appears ap ap- ap- ap pears to show no special interest in holding a certain suit defenders defend defend- ers will almost lead that suit Whether it is right or not notto notto notto to do so we are not here considering considering considering con con- but I think it is a marked tendency of defenders to make haste to cash tricks in a suit that thatis is being discarded Obviously West's Vests lead of the diamond was not the best tactics but that does not deprive South of the gratification tion of having having- induced the error Copyright 1950 by C. C H H. Goren