A Chance for Glory

by Barry Rigal

Sara Sivelind was confronted with a challenging declarer play hand here, on an auction where her opponents had not given her any help in the auction.

Board 20. Dealer West. Both Vul.
	♠ A K 10 5 ♥ 10 8 2 ♦ A 8 6 5 4 ♣ K
♠ Q ♥ K 7 6 5 ♦ K 9 7 3 2 ♣ A 10 4		♠ 9 7 3 ♥ A Q J 9 ♦ Q ♣ Q 8 7 6 5
	♠ J 8 6 4 2 ♥ 4 3 ♦ J 10 ♣ J 9 3 2

West	North	East	South
Rimstedt	Jonsdottir	Sivelind	Davidsdottir
1♦(i)	Pass	1♥	Pass
2♥	Pass	3♣	Pass
4♥	All Pass

(i) Precision

The opening diamond bid kept Hrefna Jonsdottir out of the auction, though a 1♠ overcall in the modern style would not have been absurd; but she did flicker, which may well have suggested to both East and West that she had the values for an action. As a result of her silence, a natural auction saw Sivelind declarer 4♥ on Elva Davidsdottir’s lead of the ♠2 (3rd and low) to the ♠K for a shift to the ♦A and another diamond, declarer pitching a spade. When the ♦J-10 appeared, Sivelind knew that North had nine cards in spades and diamonds, which made the chance of a bad split in either hearts or clubs quite high. There is something to be said for crossing to hand with a trump and running the ♣8, I suppose; but as the cards lie that would fail. North can win and return a diamond, and declarer has to ruff in hand and now cannot unscramble the clubs until she has drawn trumps, when the 4-1 split in clubs will prove too much.

Sivelind actually drew three rounds of trumps, and when it was Jonsdottir who turned up with three trumps, the 4-1 club split was a near certainty. At this point Sivelind was in deep trouble, but she actually advanced the ♣8, and when South ducked without concern, she guessed to go up with the ♣A, playing North for precisely her holding of the singleton ♣K. This was the ending she had reached.

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

The only winning line now is for declarer to cash the ♦9, and she has to pitch a spade not a club from hand. Then she ruffs a diamond to hand, cashing South in a non-material squeeze. She has to pitch a spade on the first diamond, and another spade on the second diamond. Now declarer ruffs a spade to dummy, extracting South’s last exit card, and passes the ♣10 to South. That player can take the ♣J, but is then endplayed to lead away from her club tenace, and declarer has the rest. Incidentally, one down was a dead average.