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Jude Reads IPBM David J. Weiss
Jude's blood pressure was a little low, so he
borrowed some of my back issues to help raise it. He looks for reports in which
the author has innocuously recounted the failure of a reasonable contract. Since
I had read the same reports without noticing anything odd, Jude enlightened me
by sharing his irritations. NORTH West
East After opening 1♥ and being
raised over West's takeout double, declarer had to contend with the lead of the
singleton trump, ducked by East. Following the standard counter when the defence
threatens to prevent ruffs, South began to establish dummy's side suit by
passing the spade ten. This plan seemed reasonable to me, but it didn't succeed.
East put a diamond through (in one case after cashing the trump ace, in another
immediately), and after three rounds of that suit declarer was cooked. Drawing
trumps would allow West to cash the long diamonds after winning the club king,
while playing clubs first would allow West to play a fourth diamond upon which
East could pitch a club. The sour trump split meant that declarer could not both
cash his club winners and ruff one in dummy. Unlucky, I thought. NoRth West
East
South E-W Game East SoutH West North Here the reporter described 6♠ as a fair contract, though normally down unless declarer finds the
double dummy line of starting clubs with the ten. "Bah, humbug!" exclaimed Jude
in keeping with the spirit of the season. Jude hates double dummy lines. "The
hand is cold on ordinary play after that hopeless diamond opening lead, an
obvious singleton. South should cover the diamond and win East's 10 in hand,
then draw two rounds of trumps. The club queen provides a pathway to pick up the
remaining trumps." with the suit of the (x) not known. It doesn't matter,
though, because on declarer's next play of a club to dummy's ace, East will
surrender that (x). South mops up by playing a heart to the ace and ruffing a
heart, then tossing East in with a diamond. |
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