Dealer: W Vul: N/S
NORTH
♠ 863
♥ Q1065
♦ AK5
♣ Q65
WEST EAST
♠ Q10 ♠ AK4
♥ A93 ♥ K742
♦ 1094 ♦ Q832
♣ AKJ83 ♣ 42
SOUTH
♠ J9752
♥ J8
♦76
♣ 1097
In bridge, as in chess, the winning play can sometimes be to sacrifice something in order to gain a winning edge. 3NT by East/West was the best contract on Board 28 on Friday.
Only David Moran and Nea McGinness reached that contract and then made the necessary nine tricks.
In attempting to reach that goal new players often make the mistake of cashing all their winning cards then hope to make any extras that are needed after that.
As declarer, David (sitting East) made the classic play of planning to lose a trick early in the play in exchange for two others.
The standard way to make a contract in no trumps is to count the number of certain tricks and if the total falls short of the number required to see if there is a suit where extra tricks can be made – even if it means trading a losing trick to begin with. In this case David could count seven top tricks: three spades, two hearts and two clubs.
The two additional tricks needed could only come from clubs. The spade lead from South is best won with the Queen. Declarer then has the choice of playing the Ace and King of clubs, followed by a small club, or crossing to the King of hearts and then leading a small club to the Jack. Either way it is important to allow North to win with the Queen. Now West’s two small clubs are winners and make up tricks eight and nine. This line of play gave David and Nea 100 per cent on this board.
Results:Monday, 15/05/23 (4-table Howell): T. Hinde N. Bonnell (69.6) 1; J. Mobbs P. Kelly (60.7) 2; H. Price R. Hart (58.9) 3. Friday, 19/05/23 (5-table Mitchell): N/S J. Mobbs T. Hinde (62.5) 1; N. Bonnell B. Bonnell (57.9) 2. E/W D. Moran N. McGinness (55.0) 1; W. Milne J. Sipple (52.1) 2.
