ETCETERA: BRIDGE

BRIDGE is big news in Scandinavia. The leading serious Copenhagen newspaper, Politiken, devoted two full pages to a tournament played at the end of last year. Mind you, they were the sponsors...

Omar Sharif in partnership with Jose Damiani (President of the World Bridge Federation) was baffled to find that their simple auction of Pass - One No-trump; Three No-trumps (with at least nine top winners) earned a top score. The rest of the room, for a variety of reasons, played in diamonds but only one declarer made 11 tricks. How would you tackle Five Diamonds after a spade lead? Presumably, after drawing trumps, you would play on hearts, but nothing quite works when, after taking their first heart trick, the defenders switch to clubs.

The successful South had the benefit of a lead directing double by East of a club bid made by North. Ignoring his partner's suggestion, West still led a spade. After cashing the second spade winner and drawing trumps, a low club was led from dummy. East took his ten and returned the king of clubs bit, but after winning on the table, declarer led the jack of clubs and discarded a heart. Bingo! East was end-played.

Love all: dealer South

North

] 8 5

_ A Q 7 6

+ A Q 5 4

[ A J 3

West East

] J 10 9 7 4 2 ] K 6 3

_ J 8 5 _ K 9 2

+ 3 + 8 7

[ 9 6 5 [ K Q 10 8 4

South

] A Q

_ 10 4 3

+ K J 10 9 6 2

[ 7 2