APR_08_EB_p34-35 Landy + Quiz Answ 14/3/08 3:31 pm Page 31

queen to cash the fifth spade trick and get

3NT down.

Can this go wrong?

There is one time this agreement can go

PRIZE PLAY ANSWER foolishly starts a high-low, you can

wrong, when the suit is distributed:

finesse the nine on the way back. There

Prizes kindly donated by PIATNIK, is a better line – to squeeze East in the

makers of playing cards since 1824 red suits.

♠74

You should win the trump in dummy

N QUIZ master Julian Pottage gives his view and ruff a club. Then return to dummy

♠KJ93 W

S

E

♠A6 of the best line of play in our February with a trump and ruff a club. Go back to

competition and awards prizes in three dummy with a trump once more and

♠ Q 10 8 5 2 categories. play a fourth round of trumps. If East

keeps three hearts and hence only two

diamonds, you discard a heart. You then

After two rounds of spades you have K-9 ♠ AQ93

play a diamond to the queen and duck a

and declarer Q-8-5. If you cash the king, ♥ K4

♦ K64 diamond. If East prefers to keep three

you give declarer a second spade trick.

♣ Q 10 7 4 diamonds and two hearts, you discard a

Declarer won’t have five spades very

♠ 8 ♠ J62 diamond. In this case you can set up two

often, although some people do open 1NT N

♥ 10 6 ♥ AJ8752 heart tricks.

with five spades. Finding declarer with five W E

♦ 10 8 3 2 S ♦ AJ7 How do you know whether East is

cards is more likely when the suit led is a

♣ AK9863 ♣ 2 keeping three hearts or three diamonds?

minor. Consider this deal: ♠ K 10 7 5 4 The bidding and play to date tell you.

♥Q93 West, who has had two chances to lead a

♦Q95 heart, can hardly have a singleton heart.

♠ AQ9 ♣J5 So East surely cannot have more than

♥ K75

six hearts. West has also had the chance

♦ QJ987

West North East South to raise hearts but again has failed to do

♣ 74

1NT 2♥ 2♠ so. So East cannot have fewer than six

♠ 8532 ♠ 10 7 4

Pass 3♠ All Pass hearts and must have exactly six.

♥ 982

W

N

E

♥ Q J 10 4

♦ 54 S ♦ K 10 6 3 West leads the ace of clubs and

♣ KJ93 ♣ A6 continues with the six of clubs. East Congratulations to the winners:

♠ KJ6 follows once, ruffs the second club and

♥ A63 County: John Turner

exits with a trump. What is the best line

♦ A2 Colliers Wood, London

for the contract?

♣ Q 10 8 5 2 Regional: Jeff Harrison

You have lost two tricks already and Natland, Kendall

must lose to the red aces. One idea is to Open: W. Ellis

Against South’s 3NT, you lead the three of play East for a doubleton ace of dia- Paignton

clubs. East’s ace wins the trick. If South monds. Of course, this is not very likely

carelessly plays the club two at trick one, given the club layout. Another idea is to

East can tell that South started with five draw trumps ending in hand and lead a This month’s new

clubs and continuing clubs will set up low heart. If West has 10-x or J-x and Play Quiz is featured on page 41.

winners for South. East should switch to the

queen of hearts at trick two. Not returning

clubs warns partner that there is a problem

in the club suit. It does not say: ‘I have LATEST EBU REGULATION

some nice hearts and I want to play them!’ APPARENTLY, at EBU tournaments some people have not been counting their cards before

But when this hand was played, one play, and others have been miscounting. Consequently the 12/14 card situation is arising

declarer did something really clever. At frequently and is not discovered till the end of play, and hence adjusted scores are needed.

trick one he played the club five. Now East The EBU Tournament Committee feel that if this could be eliminated it would mean a

thought West held the two of clubs and smoother running of competitions, and they have bought 100 sets of mini-size digital

must have five clubs. So East returned the scales. One is put on each table and players are to weigh their cards in turn instead of

counting them. A dedicated EBU employee has discovered that each playing card weighs

six of clubs, and West thought East had four

about 2g and hence you can tell immediately if a hand is a card short or a card too many.

clubs and cashed his club king, giving Ron At significant expense, these scales have been adapted so that they show a green light if

two club tricks and the contract! West the hand has 13 cards, an orange light if a hand is a card short and a red light if you have a

should have looked a bit harder at the card too many. Also, the scales give a loud bleep if there is a wrong number of cards; when

small cards. Where is the two of clubs? If the bleep is heard, the TD descends. The scales are to be introduced from the start of this

declarer has it, then he is trying to mislead month. — Ian Dalziel

the defenders.

www.ebu.co.uk April 2008 English Bridge 31