Brilliant plays of 1985

Press, 28 January 1986, Page 12

Brilliant plays of 1985

CONTRACT BRIDGE

J.R. Wignail

Members of the International Bridge Press Association are casting their votes for the best played hand of the year. The winner of this annual contest, sponsored by Bols Royal Distilleries, the long-established Dutch liqueur company, will receive the 1985 Bols Brilliancy Prize.

There were a number of very fine entries. I enjoy the chicanery of the defender who contrived to defeat an apparently unbeatable contrcast on this hand from an international match between Canada and

Mexico. East was the dealer, with neither side vulnerable.

Against South’s final contract of four hearts, West led his singleton club, which was taken by dummy’s queen. A diamond followed to the king and ace, and West returned a spade to his partner’s ace. East led a

club and after ruffing West got off lead with a diamond to the queen. The declarer discarded a spade on this trick, cashed the jack of diamonds to rid himself of his last spade, then led a heart to the queen in his hand. Had West followed suit with the four, the declarer would have had no problem. He would have cashed the ace, dropping the king and jack together, and claimed the rest of the tricks.

But, under the queen of hearts, West brightly played the jack. Now, of course, it seemed that East had started with three hearts headed by the king, and that West had no more. So the declarer tried to cross to dummy to repeat the finesse, by leading a club. West shocked him by producing another heart to score a ruff and the setting trick.

My own vote for the 1985 Bols prize, however, had to go to Masood Salim of Pakistan, for his careful declarer play in this hand dealt by West with neither side vulnerable.

As South Masood finished in four spades, a contract that seems to have four losers, a trump, a heart, and two dia-

monds. But see how one of them disappears. West led the queen of diamonds, and after cashing the ace and king East switched to a heart. South won with the king, cashed the king and ace of clubs, then carefully ruffed a diamond with the seven of spades. Then he led the jack of spades from hand, and when West’s nine appeared he overtook with dummy’s king. The six of spades was played from the North hand; when East followed with the three South, thanks to his earlier foresight, was able to play his five, leaving the lead in dummy. The declarer now ruffed a club for his seventh trick. Next he played the ace and nine of hearts and sat back happily, for with the ace and 10 of spades over East’s queen and four he had to win the last two tricks.