Bridge

FALSE-CARDING to deceive partner is a rarer occurrence than doing so to confuse declarer. On today's hand East was keen to persuade his partner that there was no future in persevering with the suit he had first led, and to turn his attention to the only other suit that might prove to be a source of defensive tricks.

East opened the bidding with one diamond. South overcalled with one spade and, after a confusing auction in which hearts were bid and supported, the final contract was four spades.

In response to partner's opening bid, West led the nine of diamonds on which dummy's ten was played. East needed West to switch to clubs should he regain the lead. Therefore, on the ten he played the king, effectively denying possession of the queen. He appreciated he had time to take his diamond queen if partner held a trump trick, but was desperate for a club to be played through first, before declarer could utilise dummy's hearts for discards.

South won with his ace, entered dummy with a top heart and took the spade finesse. In with the king, West, as programmed, duly switched to a club. After capturing dummy's king with his ace, East cashed his minor-suit queens for a well-worked one trick defeat.

"Didn't you trust me to find the club switch?" asked West after the hand was over. "Of course I did. It was declarer I was hoping to fool," replied East diplomatically.