Bridge

It is disappointing in competitive situations when you take a distinct risk in order to push your opponents one higher, only to find that the extra trick that declarer has to make poses him no problem. On this deal, however, East-West's efforts were more successful, but they had to be followed by an imaginative defence.

West opened 4! and, after two passes, South faced a problem. Double was a possibility, but he decided in favour of 44. West and North passed and East bravely contested with 5!. This would have cost only 300 points, but North bid 54 and all passed.

West led the !A and took stock. It seemed certain that declarer held the 2A as well as good spades, and West's first reaction was that all he had to do was wait and hope for two club tricks. Further reflection suggested that if South held the 210 as well as the A, he could hardly go wrong. After drawing trumps and cashing the diamonds, he would finesse in clubs into West's hand and so end-play him.

Could anything be done? Possibly, if East held the 210 rather than South. At trick two, West switched to the 22! At worst, this might cost an overtrick. It never crossed declarer's mind to play the jack from dummy, and after the seven had been covered by the 10 there was no way for him to avoid the loss of two club tricks.