BRIDGE

TOWARDS the end of the semi-final of the recent Bermuda Bowl there was an interesting part-score deal. With declarer having five top losers in Three Hearts it is easy to see how he could have been defeated, but the defenders found ways of letting South get home.

On the lie of the cards it seems impossible to defeat a spade game by East-West, but at both tables South played peacefully in Three Hearts.

West started with two top clubs and Bobby Wolff had an easy run when West led a third club to concede a ruff and discard. Presumably East had signalled an even number of clubs, and his partner had played him for a doubleton. At the other table the American West switched to a trump at trick 3. You have to agree that, from his point of view, a spade switch looked unattractive, but Perron (for France) demonstrated that the trump switch was fatal.

He won in hand and played three rounds of diamonds, ruffing high. To establish and enjoy the long diamond he needed two entries to the table and, rather than play for the trumps breaking 2-2, he took a spectacular finesse against West's nine. Another diamond was ruffed high and the last trump was drawn with dummy's queen so that the long diamond could be enjoyed.

A lot of hard work for a flat board!