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Show tev- ' -1 BETTER BRIDGE y C N. ror Both vulnerable. South deals. KOBTH eAKJT K7 AJ5 WEST EAST AKQJSI A8T ?10S4 Q Q5 10 X M1 SOUTH A A 10S e5 AJiS KQ10T The bidding: South West North East 14 Pass IV Pass Z Pass Pass -3 Pass e Psss Pass Pass Opening lead, king of spades. ' ' The bidding of today's hand was In accordance with modern standards stand-ards and requires no particular comment, except, perhaps, South's bid of three spades, which serves a dual purpose. It permits partner part-ner to contract for game in no trump if that appeara to be the best "put" ur enables -partner to proceed toward slam If his hand Is suited for the purpose. The spade opening was the only -one that could provide the declarer with any serious worries. Hs naturally nat-urally took the trick and was faced with the problem as to how to manege man-ege the trump suit Were the queen of diamonds the only consideration, the proper procedure would be to finesse the Jsck on the second round. Inasmuch as the odds favor the finesse rather than the drop with five cards out But declarer realized that, even without capturing the queen, there will still a chance to fulfill the sporting contract Ha decided first to try to drop the queen of diamonds dia-monds doubleton. If that failed, there was still the chance that the clubs would break three-three so that dummy's spade could be discarded dis-carded on the fourth club. And, even If the clubs split four-two, there wss the slight additional chance that the player with the queen of trumps would have to follow to all the club leads. When the queen of diamonds dropped on the second round, declarer de-clarer could afford to extract the last trump. North snd South were rewarded with a well earned slam. Declarer's technique was sound. On the trump play, while percentages percent-ages favor the finesse, that play la only slightly superior to the drop. And. by abandoning a finesse, declarer de-clarer picks up certain other advantages, ad-vantages, such as a favorable club break. There la this further consideration, con-sideration, If declarer tries for the diamond finesse and falls, he meets with sudden desth, but If he tries for the drop and fails, his hopes have not ended. He still has another an-other chance to bring In the hand. |