Pursuits: Bridge
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Your support makes all the difference.NORTH-SOUTH'S auction on this deal was not a thing of beauty but it proved effective after a mis-defence led to a rather curious ending. North opened One Spade and rebid Two Hearts over South's response of Two Clubs. South explored with Three Diamonds but this was the fourth suit, not promising anything in the suit, and compelling progress. With little choice, North rebid his spades.
Unhappy with this development, but not so far having shown anything in diamonds, South now tried 3 no-trumps. I am sure that Four Clubs was the right technical bid and (as Three Diamonds was forcing to game) I suppose that North would have to move again. As you can see, both Four Spades and Five Clubs are almost sure to fail. Still, South had managed to end in a contract that offered some play.
West led #10 against 3 no-trumps and, after winning with his king, South led 2Q. East won and returned a diamond to South's ace and, on the next high club, West discarded a heart, dummy a spade, and East took his ace. If at this point East had returned !J, South would have been cut off from his own hand and, in the fullness of time, would have lost two hearts and two spades. However, misreading the situation, East led another diamond and South's hand came to life again.
Dummy threw another spade on the diamond and now came 210 to put West in trouble. Eventually he threw a heart and dummy let a third spade go. Now a finesse of !Q, !A and a third heart ensured three more tricks for dummy. If West discards a spade instead of a heart, declarer throws a heart from the table and makes two hearts and three spades. The squeeze was unusual in that West, after being squeezed, still made two more tricks.
Love all; dealer North
North
4K Q J 8 4 3
!A Q 5 2
#5 3
26
West East
4A 10 9 7 46 5 2
!K 9 8 6 3 !J 10
#10 9 4 #J 8 7 2
22 2A K 9 5
South
4none
!7 4
#A K Q 6
2Q J 10 8 7 4 3
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