A Winning Play In A Losing Cause

by Phillip Alder

The USA1 Venice Cup team won easily against their compatriots in the quarterfinal. But the losers combined well to gain ten imps on this deal from the second session.

Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul.
	♠ 9 8 4 ♥ J ♦ Q 10 8 5 4 ♣ A J 9 7
♠ J 10 3 2 ♥ 9 5 3 ♦ A J ♣ 10 8 5 2		♠ K 7 5 ♥ A 10 8 6 ♦ K 9 7 6 ♣ 6 4
	♠ A Q 6 ♥ K Q 7 4 2 ♦ 3 2 ♣ K Q 3

West	North	East	South
Levin	Sulgrove	Picus	Sprung
Pass	Pass	1♦	1♥
1♠	Pass	Pass	1NT
Pass	3NT	All Pass

At the other table, Peggy Sutherlin, West, found the killing spade start.

In this room, Jill Levin, West, led the two of clubs. Declarer took the trick in hand with her king and played a diamond, West rising with her ace and leading a second club to South's queen. Another diamond went to the jack, queen and king, and Sue Picus, East, shifted to a spade, ducked to West's ten. A spade came back to the king and ace, and declarer led a heart to dummy's jack, which East had to duck. Now came the ace of clubs to give this end-position:

	♠ 9 ♥ - ♦ 10 8 5 ♣ J
♠ J 3 ♥ 9 5 ♦ - ♣ 10		♠ 7 ♥ A 10 ♦ 9 6 ♣ -
	♠ Q ♥ K Q 7 4 ♦ - ♣ -

South needed four more tricks, and the last club squeezed East. A diamond discard was obviously fatal. If she had thrown her spade, declarer would have crossed to the queen of spades and led the king of hearts. East would have to give the necessary tricks to either dummy or declarer. And when East actually pitched the ten of hearts, Sprung played a spade to her queen and exited with a high heart. East had to lead from the nine-six of diamonds into dummy's ten-eight.

That was nicely played, but did you notice the errors? When South ducked the first round of spades, West could have defeated the contract by returning a club, which would have destroyed declarer's timing. So, South should have put in the queen of spades -- or gone up with the ace!