Match point scoring at duplicate bridge creates some very strange plays. It is fairly obvious that South should be able to score ten tricks and make his contract. West leads the king of hearts to get things started.
If this hand came up in a rubber bridge game, declarer would win the opening lead and put the jack of spades on the table. He would not want to place his contract in any kind of jeopardy while trying to make an over trick. West should cover and the defense will wind up with two spade tricks and a heart trick.
At duplicate, declarer is always looking for a way to make a little more than everybody else. This hand provides him with a chance to discard his losing heart card on a diamond trick. To that end, at trick two, declarer plays the king of diamonds. A small diamond comes next and the ace wins in dummy with both defenders following.
The queen of diamonds is next. East trumps with the five of spades and declarer plays the six of spades, winning the trick. A small club is played to the king in dummy and the jack of diamonds is played. East decides not to trump with the ace of spades and discards a heart instead. Declarer also discards a heart.
With the heart suit taken care of, Declarer turns his attention to trumps. Why did East let him pitch a heart on the jack of diamonds? He either has no more trump, or he has the ace of trump and didn't want to waste it on the diamonds because if he did trump with the ace, South would still get the heart discard. With this in mind, a heart was trumped to enter the closed hand and a small spade was led. West played the eight and declarer called for a low spade from dummy. East was now forced to win the ace.
The club return was won in the closed hand and the jack of spades was led, picking up the outstanding trumps. The last diamond provided a resting spot for the long club and declarer scored twelve tricks and a top score on the hand.
As the cards lie, East has two chances to keep declarer from
making twelve tricks. First, if he does not trump the third
diamond but simply discards a heart or a club instead, declarer
can get rid of his heart loser but will still have to lose two
trump tricks. Second, once he has trumped the third diamond, if
he decides to trump the fourth diamond with the ace of spades,
declarer will find that he cannot escape another trump loser.
Allowing only one overtrick may result in an average score
instead of a bottom.
----
Bernstein is
a free-lance writer in Solon.