To Learn More About or Book A Bridge Cruise or Camp, Click HERE and Go to Our Travel Partner's Site!

Could it hurt?

Could it hurt?

This deal was played by Gary Cohler in the 2010 Orlando Regional. Thanks go to David Berkowitz, for reporting.  

Vul: Both
Dir: South
bridge card suit6
bridge card suitA Q 5 3 2
bridge card suitA 3 2
bridge card suitK Q 5 2
bridge card suit8 3 2
bridge card suitK J 6
bridge card suitK 10 5
bridge card suitA J 8 4

South dealt and opened 1bridge card suit. According to David, "the real auction is unprintable." So, I'll make one up. West preempts with 2bridge card suit. North bids 3bridge card suit,  which South should raise to 4bridge card suit. Now what?

Is North worth another move? Maybe.

Let's say he bids 4bridge card suit to show a control (in a slam auction, a control is either the ace, king, void or singleton). This bid means the opponents won't take the first two rounds in the suit.

South can now control-bid his bridge card suitA with a bid of 5bridge card suit (he already denied extras when he raised 3bridge card suit to 4bridge card suit). North can now suggest 6bridge card suit as a place to play. This auction  is full of presumptions, but let's live with it:

WestNorthEastSouth
 ------1bridge card suit
2bridge card suit3bridge card suitPass4bridge card suit
Pass4bridge card suit Pass5bridge card suit
Pass 6bridge card suit(All Pass)

The opening lead is a high spade. What are your thoughts?

"A pretty auction," no doubt.  This looks to be much better than 6bridge card suit, where there would be a diamond to lose. Here, you can throw the diamond loser on the hearts.

West continues spades and you ruff in dummy. Now what? Assuming neither clubs or hearts are 5-0, you are in great shape. You can draw trumps (even 4-1 is okay). That gives you 4 club tricks, 5 heart tricks, the bridge card suitA-K, and the trick you just ruffed.  Or, to think in reverse (the way I prefer for suit contracts), you have lost one spade trick. One spade was already ruffed in dummy. Your last spade and your potential diamond loser will get discarded on dummy's hearts after you draw trump.

You lay down the bridge card suitK and everyone follows. Will you have another?

Sure. Lay down the bridge card suitQ and everyone follows again. Looks like smooth sailing.

Can I talk you into drawing the last trump?

I hope not. Let's look at the full deal:

The full (real) deal:


Vul: Both
Dir: South
bridge card suit6
bridge card suitA Q 5 3 2
bridge card suitA 3 2
bridge card suitK Q 5 2
bridge card suitA K Q J 5 4
bridge card suit--
bridge card suitJ 9 8 7 6
bridge card suit10 7
bridge card suit10 9 7
bridge card suit10 9 8 7 4
bridge card suitQ 4
bridge card suit9 6 3
bridge card suit8 3 2
bridge card suitK J 6
bridge card suitK 10 5
bridge card suitA J 8 4

Drawing a 3rd round of trumps is fatal. With the 5-0 heart break, you will fall a trick short. At the table, Gary Cohler found the "on-the-house" play of testing hearts first. If everyone followed, he would draw the last trump and claim.But, when they turned out to be 5-0, he had a slight extra chance. If the hand with 5 hearts had the remaining trump (as here), declarer could win the bridge card suitK and ruff his last spade in dummy. Then a heart to the jack to draw the last trump and claim (only one heart discard is now needed for the diamond loser).This thoughtful play earner Gary +1370 and a large gain on the deal.Yes, had West tried for the newspapers and underled his spades on opening lead, he would have had a spectacular triumph (assuming that East returns a heart, as he should).