Independent Pursuits: Bridge

THIS WAS a deal that I played in the Marbella Bridge Festival some years ago, scoring well by making ten tricks in a Three No-trump contract that had not been reached at every table.

After the bidding 1NT - 3NT West led the six of hearts. East took his ace, returned the queen, and I held off. With the hearts shut out, the rest was easy. Long afterwards I spotted a subtle defence that would almost certainly have defeated me. If East had held the ace, queen and another heart it would have been routine for him to play the queen on the first round, but, with his actual holding, the play of the queen seems pointless.

Or is it? True, I would be virtually certain to win immediately, but the hearts would still be blocked. Ah! But West now holds up his ace of diamonds until the third round of the suit, and East simply discards his tiresome ace of hearts (it is worth noting that, if the lead is a standard fourth highest, East can place his partner with !J 10 7 [x]).

This year, now resited at the Atalaya Park Golf Hotel (near Marbella), the festival follows the standard Continental practice of having only one session of play per day, starting at 4.30pm and leaving ample time for golf, tennis etc. It will be played from November 6-15 with two separate three-session pairs events, two sessions of mixed pairs, and two of teams. See you there!

For enquiries about the event, contact Desmond Deery or Paul Fenn on 0034 95 282 0669 or 0034 95 288 7640 (fax: 0034 95 288 6411).