Show f 1 1 Ri BETTER BRIDGE a By C. C H. H Goren a 1 jath sides vulnerable South 11 NORTHA NORTH A K Q 9 7 4 ST EAST It A V 7 it ea J 8 i I g 1 SOUTH SOUTHA A 65 V VA A Q J 8 3 4 K 1 10 9 95 5 se A 2 The bidding South West Vest North East 1 heart Pass 1 spade Pass 2 hearts Pass 3 hearts Pass 4 1 hearts Pass Pass Pass Opening lead lead- ace of diamonds A careful defensive play was as executed by Joseph M. M I. I Cohan of Wooster Of 0 newly newty elected president president president dent of the American Contract Bridge League at the Masters Masters' Individual Tournament recently 1 I conducted in New York City It had the effect of putting declarer to a difficult guess and declarer quite excusably faltered North and South reached a contract contract contract con con- tract of four hearts Norths North's bidding bidding bidding bid bid- ding was somewhat on the aggressive aggressive ag ag- ag- ag side It is doubtful that his hand was worth orth two constructive constructive tive ti bids so that instead of bidding bidding bid bid- ding spades and also raising hearts it would perhaps have been preferable to make an immediate immediate im im- im- im mediate raise to two hearts Even Evenso so the game contract would probably probably probably ably have been reached for South's hand justified one more effort in the way of a of three hearts which North having having hav hav- having ing a perfectly good raise would carry on to four West Vest chose to lead the ace and another diamond though a club lead would have settled declarers declarer's declarers declarer's ers er's hash at once In an effort to I establish dummy's suit to build up a discard for the losing losin club South led a spade Mr 1 Cohan in inthe inthe inthe the East position won with the theace theace theace ace and cashed the queen of diamonds He realized the futility of trying to attack clubs of which declarer surely held the ace and observed spade suit was subject to establishment if dummy dummy dummy dum dum- my were permitted to retain trump entries lie therefore returned returned re rc- re- re t turned the fourth diamond West Test ruffed and dummy was forced to with the rune nine nine The queen and another spade ruffed high by declarer set up that suit Now ow if each of the adversaries adversaries adversaries adver adver- saries had two hearts declarer could claim the balance He therefore cashed the king and 10 of hearts and got the disappointing disappointing disappointing pointing news Since East reta retained retained re re- ta a trump no discard could be taken on the high spade and the contract went down to defeat After establishing the spades declarer could have won the hand by drawing only one trump and then leading a spade East must ruff South and returns to dummy drawing East's last trump A club discard is then is-then then taken But to make this play declarer would have had to play West Vest for only two trumps and since West Vest was known to be short in diamonds diamonds diamonds dia dia- monds this did not appear to be bea a logical assumption |