18 English Bridge February 2016 www.ebu.co.uk
(playing off the ™A-K and another) or to duck
an early trump. Now a further spade lead would
leave declarer with insufficient trumps to control
the hand. The full deal was:
This type of play, leaving the opponents with a
winning trump or two and attacking a side suit, is a
common one. Here, in a modest contract of 2´,
declarer succeeds by ignoring the siren call
for overtricks.
MY PREVIOUS two articles stressed the need to
make a sound plan at the outset of a hand. This one
carries on the theme but focuses on how you need
to keep control of the trump suit.
We'll start with a straightforward example of
drawing the right number of trumps:
Now the formula is always the same - Count - Plan
- Execute. Count your winners and losers and make
a plan before you start to play.
East-West (who have competed to 3´) lead two
rounds of spades against 4™ and you ruff the
second spade. Now, counting winners and losers
you can see three of the latter immediately, a spade,
a club and a trump. If trumps are 4-1 then you have
two trump losers and 4™ is doomed. Rather than
take a fatalistic approach you assume trumps are
going to split 3-2. What do you do?
Well, almost all players would get this right,
probably without really thinking it through. The
right play is to cash the ™A K and then, leaving the
master trump at large, set up the side-suit by
leading clubs. The defenders can take the ®A and
the boss trump at their pleasure but can take no
more than their three obvious winners. The fatal
mistake would be to drive out the winning trump
Hand 1. Contract 4™ by South. Lead ´4
´ J 10 8
™ 9 4 3
t A K 2
® 9 8 6 4
´ Q 6 4 ´ A K 7 5 3 2
™ 10 8 ™ Q J 6
t 10 9 6 4 3 t Q J 7
® A 5 3 ® 2
´ 9
™ A K 7 5 2
t 8 5
® K Q J 10 7
Hand 1
Contract 4™ by South
Lead ´4
´ J 10 8
™ 9 4 3
t A K 2
® 9 8 6 4
´ 9
™ A K 7 5 2
t 8 5
® K Q J 10 7
N
W E
S
Hand 3. Contract 2´ by South. Lead t10
´ Q 7
™ J 9 4
t A Q 3
® A 9 6 4 2
´ J 4 ´ A 10 9 6
™ A Q 7 ™ K 10 8 5 2
t 10 9 8 4 t 6
® K J 8 7 ® Q 10 3
´ K 8 5 3 2
™ 6 3
t K J 7 5 2
® 5N
W E
S
N
W E
S
Controlling the trumps by Paul Bowyer
Basic Cardplay
Basic Cardplay
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