Bridge

THERE IS a big difference between needing tricks from a suit, in which case you grab what you can get, and not losing too many tricks in that suit.

With silent opponents the bidding had proceeded One Club; One Diamond; One Heart; One Spade; (fourth suit forcing) 1NT; 2NT; 3NT.

West led the five of spades and although when East played the king declarer has two sure tricks in the suit, this does not help him make his contract, giving him only seven tricks. In order to get home he needs to set up his diamond suit, which should produce three tricks once the ace and king have been knocked out. Three diamonds, two clubs and three heart tricks are eight, so only one trick is needed from the Spade suit.

What South needs to guard against is the spade suit producing three tricks for the defence. If the spades break 4-3 all is well, but if they break 5-2 declarer must exhaust East's spades before he wins the first diamond honour, which West will otherwise ensure that he does. (If East has both diamond honours there is no problem; if West has both, no hope; but if they divide as here, the most likely case, then taking insurance at the cost of a trick ensures the contract.)

Therefore declarer must duck the king of spades and win the spade return, so that when East is in with the ace of diamonds he has no further spade to play, and the 10 of spades in dummy acts as a guard against the run of the suit when West gets in. Now the defence can only come to two spade and two diamond tricks.

LOVE ALL; DEALER SOUTH

NORTH

] 10 6 4 2

_ A 5

+ Q J 10 9 4

[ K 7

SOUTH

] A J

_ K Q 4 2

+ 8 5 2

[ A 10 9 6

] Q 8 7 5 3

_ J 8 6

+ K 6

[ Q 5 3

] K 9

_ 10 9 7 3

+ A 7 3

[ J 8 4 2