The Star E-dition

FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

SECOND TIME AROUND

“My partner is intolerant of errors,” a club player told me, “and I make plenty. He asserts that if you make the same mistake twice, the second time is by choice.”

“He sounds like a hard man.”

“I went down at 6NT,” my friend said, “and my partner swore I’d booted the same type of situation before.”

West had led a club, and declarer won in dummy and tried a heart to his queen. West took the king and led the jack. South ran his winners, but East kept his diamond stopper and won the 13th trick. “My partner wanted to know what part of ‘combining chances’ I don’t understand.” Technique

Trying several chances for a contract is a common technique. South can win the first club in dummy and next lead a diamond toward his jack. When East has the queen, South wins three diamond tricks, plus four clubs, four spades and one heart.

If West had the queen of diamonds, South would still be alive. He could finesse with the queen of hearts or perhaps play for an unlikely squeeze. Daily Question

You hold: ♠ A KJ ♥ 84 ♦A K 73 ♣Q

6 3 2. Your partner opens 1NT. North in today’s deal raised to 6NT. Do you agree with that call?

Answr: North’s bid would have been routine at matchpoint duplicate. At

IMPs or party bridge, North might have looked for a safer slam at a minor suit. A useful convention is “forcing Stayman”: A two-diamond response forces to game and allows investigation of various contracts. Note that in today’s deal, six clubs is made easily.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

THE XFILES

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2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestar.pressreader.com/article/281844353018144

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