Every once in a while you come across a hand that, in a fairly simple way, just encapsulates everything that is great about this game.

I absolutely adore this week’s hand as it features a declarer who listened to the bidding, backed his judgment and then devised a wonderful line of play to make his contract.

See the hand in Figure 1.

South opened one spade and, after West made a textbook double, North jumped to 2NT, which this pair played as a limit raise or better in spades – South then had an easy raise to game with his sixth trump and extra values.

West led the King of hearts. Declarer counted nine sure winners and saw that his major problem was to avoid losing three tricks in the minors. Unfortunately that was a very real possibility as, on the bidding, West was the heavy favourite to hold the Ace of diamonds.

If he held the Queen of clubs too, then the prospects were not bright for making three club tricks. So, instead of relying on the club suit for an extra trick, declarer formed a plan to take advantage of the Ace of diamonds being on his left.

As he wanted to avoid East gaining the lead twice, declarer let the King of hearts hold the first trick. After winning the heart continuation with his Ace, declarer led a trump to dummy’s King and ruffed dummy’s eight of hearts with his Queen of trumps.

Then, after drawing the remaining defensive trump with his Jack, declarer found a clever play: he led the four of diamonds from hand! Pure brilliance, as you will see.

East overtook West’s eight of diamonds with the ten and shifted to the nine of clubs. Declarer ran this to dummy’s King and then called for the seven of diamonds from dummy.

When West took declarer’s king of diamonds with his Ace he was end-played. An exit in a red suit would see declarer ruff in dummy and throw the Jack of club from hand. So, West returned a low club and declarer showed his Ace-Jack of clubs and claimed ten tricks: six trumps, a heart and three clubs.

Most declarers would win the first or second heart, draw trumps and then lead a club to the jack in the hope that it wins or clubs are 3-3 to enable a diamond pitch on the fourth club – when clubs are not 3-3 they are left with no choice but to try a diamond towards the king and will sidle to a one-trick defeat. Our declarer was a cut above that superb!

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Friday, June 16

North/South

1. Jane Smith-Margaret Way

2. Richard Gray-Wendy Gray

3. Geoff Bell-Kathleen Bell

East/West

1. Kathleen Keane-Betsy Baillie

2. Stephanie Kyme-Diana Diel

3. John Burville-Molly Taussig

Monday, June 19

1. Gertrude Barker-Jane Smith

2. Elysa Burland-Molly Taussig

3. Geoff Bell-Kathleen Bell

Tuesday, June 20

1. Rosemary Smith-Felicity Lunn

2. Sarah Bowers-Stuart Clare

3. Keri McKittrick-Tim McKittrick

Wednesday, June 21

North/South

1. Gertrude Barker-Jane Smith

2. Sheena Rayner-Magda Farag

3. Judith Bussell-Joseph Wakefield

East/West

1. Martha Ferguson-Judy King

2. Rachael Gosling-Margaret Way

3. Patricia Siddle-Diana Diel

Thursday, June 22

1. Jane Smith-Magda Farag

2. Molly Taussig-David Cordon

3. Stephanie Kyme-Margaret Way

Non-Bridge Club Online Results for Bridge Club Members

Wednesday, June 21

Jean Johnson and Stephanie Kyme – 2nd out of 152 pairs