Bridge: determined player’s aggressive bid sets challenge to bring home thin contract

This week’s declarer faced both bidding and play challenges. Would you have risen to each occasion?

Bidding
Dealer West
N/S Game

South’s 2NT overcall over a Weak Two opener indicated 17-20 points, with at least one spade stopper. In the hyper-aggressive modern style, this bid often shows merely 16 points, but South hated the thought of being swindled, so he bid it in the hope that North might have the missing values. North raised to game, and K♠ was led.

The bidding told South that spades were dividing 6-2, so he knew to duck once and then, while setting up diamond tricks, try to keep West off lead. One method might be to lay down A♦ in case West holds a singleton K♦ but, here, this fails, as West’s ♦J74 becomes a third-round winner. Instead, declarer should take the doomed heart finesse and, whatever is returned, win in dummy. Then, he can lead a diamond. Eccentrically, if East plays low, declarer should rise with A♦ but, here, when East plays K♦, declarer must duck! This strands East on lead. Whatever is played next, nine tricks can now be scored for an excellent result. Note the opportunity for a fine defence if South errs and ducks a second spade. On the third spade, East can pitch a card that dooms declarer: K♦. Now, nothing can prevent West from winning the third round of diamonds and the contract fails.

Paul Mendelson’s new book, ‘The Joy of Bridge’, is out now