A
Nice Defence
On
the hand below, from the first semifinal session, NS found a nice
defence to extract the maximum penalty:
Board 19, Dealer South,
East-West Vul. |
|
ª Q J
4
© 10
¨ A K J
3
§ Q 10
9 6 3 |
ª
K 9 8 5 3
© A 4
¨ 8 7 2
§ J 7 5 |
![Bridge deal](../../../graphics/Hand/board3.gif) |
ª
10 2
© K J 8
7 6
¨ 10 6
§ A K 4
2 |
|
ª A 7
6
© Q 9
5 3 2
¨ Q 9 5
4
§ 8 |
|
|
West |
North |
East |
South |
|
|
|
Pass |
Pass |
1¨ |
1© |
Pass |
1ª |
Pass |
2§ |
Pass |
2© |
Pass |
Pass |
Double |
Pass |
Pass |
2ª |
Pass |
Pass |
Double |
All Pass |
|
When South finally came to life, showing his
penalty pass over 1© by doubling the opponents in 2©, East decided
to run. This was not a great success either, as North doubled this
and led the ©10. West won the ace and led a diamond. North rose
with the jack, South playing the four. North took this as sort of
a club preference, so he continued the §3. Dummy put up the ace
and led the ¨10. South now won the queen and gave partner a heart
ruff. North returned a club for South to ruff, and another heart
came next. As it would not help West to ruff with the king now,
he threw the §J as North ruffed the trick with the ªJ. Now North
returned yet another club, hoping partner would ruff this with an
honour if he held one. Yes: South could ruff the trick with the
ace and play another heart, so North's ªQ became the second undertrick
for a very good 500.
Things
That Should Happen in the Final
The field reaches 6NT:
ª
K 6
© A 5 2
¨ K 4 3 2
§ A 7 6 3 |
ª
A 10 8 7 4 2
© K Q 6
¨ A 6
§ K 5 |
You are pleased to remember the safety play
for five spade tricks. So you win the lead in hand and run the spade
ten. To your delight East actually holds the bare nine. In a way
you are pleased when you discover that every other declarer played
the same way.
After all it is the Belladonna Memorial tournament
and it was this great player who first showed the world how that
combination should be played.
Then you reach the last deal of the event:
|
ª J 9
8 5 3
© J 8
7 6 4 2
¨ A K
§ - |
ª
Q 10 6 2
© Q 9 5
3
¨ Q J 5 3
§ 7 |
![Bridge deal](../../../graphics/Hand/board3.gif) |
ª
7 4
© 10
¨ 9 6 4 2
§ 9 8 6
5 4 3 |
|
ª A K
© A K
¨ 10 8
7
§ A K
Q J 10 2 |
|
You reach 6NT and at first are considering
how best to play for an overtrick after West has led his club. You
cash a second club however and he discards a diamond. Oh dear our
twelve tricks have become eleven.
Double-dummy it is easy to see that West can
be pulverised by a choice of criss-cross squeezes (EG play a low
club now, win the return, choose a criss-cross and go. However you
are not playing double-dummy and have no wish to go down when a
major suit queen is falling.
So you cash one top diamond then you cash the major suit winners.
No queens. Oh dear. Time to resign?
Don't be absurd, this is the Belladonna Memorial
Trophy you are playing for and you are poised to effect one of his
greatest coups - the jetison squeeze and endplay!
Keep playing clubs to reach this position:
|
ª J
© J
¨ A
§ - |
ª
Q
¨ Q
§ - |
![Bridge deal](../../../graphics/Hand/board3.gif) |
ª
- Q © -
¨ 9 6
§ 9 |
|
ª -
© -
¨ 10 8
§ 2 |
|
Now play the club.
If West pitches a major suit queen dummy throws
the jack of the other major and claims the last two tricks.
If West piches the diamond queen dummy parts
with the diamond ace - declarer takes the last two tricks on the
marked diamond finesse.
This play - the Jetison squeeze and endplay
has an intreaging history. Truscott produced one such deal in the
early seventies, with the comment that one rarely saw something
new in a three card ending. It was played by a visiting diplomat,
we were told. Sadly the deal was identical to a Robin (Robert?)
Gray composition for the double dummy section of Bridge World in
1945. If you wish to see the deal it was reproduced in the fiftieth
anniversary edition of Bridge World in 1975.
Giorgio Belladonna, the best card-player since Deschapelles, actually
played the coup. It appears in a slim volume by Rixi Markus called
"Bridge Table Tales".
I'm not saying all that will happen, but I'm
very sure it should.
|