Another story

by GeO Tislevoll

This interesting board was shown on BBO, but a mistake that arose because of a lost connection for some seconds gave the impression that something else had happened than the real story. For once the commentators were a bit too quick when they praised South for his defence.

Round 9. Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul.
	♠ 10 6 5 3 ♥ A 5 ♦ A Q 10 ♣ J 10 9 6
♠ K 9 8 7 ♥ Q J 10 3 ♦ 3 ♣ 7 5 4 2		♠ A Q 4 ♥ K 9 8 7 6 ♦ J 9 ♣ K Q 8
	♠ J 2 ♥ 4 2 ♦ K 8 7 6 5 4 2 ♣ A 3

Ivar Berg (East) and Tor Ove Reistad for Norway bid to Four Hearts without the opponents entering the bidding. A club lead would beat the game if North takes the first trump and gives South a club ruff. Also, a diamond lead to the ace and club switch will result in the Norwegians going down. But after a diamond lead to the ace, North continued diamonds, ruffed by West. A trump was led, and North took the ace and played a club, a little too late. On BBO we could see East putting up the club king, and South played low! Now the comentators (one of them myself) became enthusiastic, because they could see North would be squeezed in the black suits if Sout took the king of clubs with the ace. Now declarer probably would go down, the commentators said, because he would play a club to the queen. So the defence was good, most of the commentators agreed, but that is not entirely true. After winning the trick with the club king declarer could play like this: three rounds of spades, and a fourth round of spades ruffed by East. Then the diamond jack is ruffed, leaving this position:

	♠ – ♥ – ♦ 10 ♣ 10 9 6
♠ – ♥ 3 ♦ –		♠ – ♥ K 9 ♦ –
	♠ – ♥ – ♦ K 8 7 ♣ A

From here on, it doesn't matter if declarer plays a club to the queen or if he plays low from his hand. If he goes up with the queen South can take it with the ace, but then he has to play a card to give a ruff and discard, and East's last club disappears.

But the fact was that actually the operator had made one of her very rare mistakes because she lost connection, and South had actually taken the club king with the ace. What then happened was this: South played another club after the ace, taken by East's queen. Then he ruffed the last diamond and continued with the remaining trumps. Before the last one this was the position:

	♠ 10 6 5 3 ♥ – ♦ – ♣ 10
♠ K 9 8 7 ♥ – ♦ – ♣ 7		♠ A Q 4 ♥ 8 ♦ – ♣ 8
	♠ J 2 ♥ – ♦ K 8 7 ♣ –

On the eight of hearts, North had to give up a spade, or throw his club jack, and declarer had his contract either way.