Show BETTER BRIDGE 2 r By Charles H. H Goren Neither vulnerable North deals NORTH NORTHA A J 8 6 V 4 Q 10 5 3 WEST EST EAST K Q 10 9 5 4 AA A 7 VI y 46 1 64 82 47 7 SOUTH V I J 10 9 4 A t 10 1084 8 4 The bidding North East South South ct 1 1 A Pass Piss 1 If 4 1 A 2 Pass 2 NT T Pass 3 NT Pass Pass Pas Pass Opening lead King of or spades My partner must be wrong strong the opponents are no doubt right Is a doctrine that has been adopted by vast hordes of ot bridge players It rears its ugly head many times Umes right at the opening lead Partner Partner Partner Part Part- ner may have ha taken his life into his hands to overcall o in hearts because because because be be- cause the opening lead of that suit is urgently desired The opponents go gayly on to three no trump despite the fact that they hold but buta a single stopper The opening leader holds the J J 2 2 of hearts and promptly looks around for some other suit in which he holds something something something some some- thing like 7 5 and starts at at- at tacking Didn't they bid no trump right over O partners partner's suit When a player acquires a reputation reputation reputation tation for refusing to lead partners partner's partners partner's partners partner's part part- ners ner's suit a canny adversary will frequently play successfully on that weakness by iy fantastic calls of three no trump In today's hand South went one step further and tried to scare West Vest out of leading his own suit That is bravado of the first order Yet but for East's inspired defensive coup his attempt attempt attempt at at- tempt at highway robbery would ha have ve succeeded When the final contract of three no trump was vas reached there was no chance to get West's Vests mind off the spade suit so the king came I out very promptly When the jack showed up in dummy East could not afford to overtake and a low spade was continued The ace won but the but the suit was blocked East could see sec that tha t unless partner was able to obtain the lead the cause was lost The instinctive lead would be a diamond but a moments moment's thought made it evident that such plan had little hope of success To bid no trump without the sign of a spade stopper and not much else South must have been relying relying- on running the diamond suit Furthermore Furthermore Furthermore Further Further- more if West Vest had a high diamond diamond diamond dia dia- mond it was unlikely that declarer declarer declarer de de- could ever run enough tricks without first letting him in There was one remote hope and that was that West Vest had the queen of hearts It was not a aery very ery bright prospect but it was the only real chance East therefore played the king of hearts This was taken by declarer de- de declarer declarer de de- who ran the diamonds and then tried the club finesse When this failed a heart was returned to West's Vests queen and the mopping ng- ng up process was completed Once again crime had failed to pay Copyright 1950 Charles H. H Goren |