The Substitute’s Tale
By Mark Horton In 44th World Bridge Teams Championships On 18th September 2019
You will recall having read about David Kendrick joining the English Senior team at the eleventh hour. He reported a couple of good stories about this deal from Round 9:
North led a heart and when dummy’s queen was allowed to hold declarer played a diamond. If he puts in the ten, North will win and play a second heart enabling South to clear the suit, after which there are only eight tricks. Knowing that South must hold the A declarer avoided this trap by playing the king. When it held he was up to eight tricks. It looks tempting to play the diamond jack a this point, put South will win and switch to the Q after which declarer will have no way to generate a ninth trick. Appreciating the danger, declarer crossed to dummy with a club and played a diamond. That meant South’s king hit thin air and whatever the defenders did declarer could establish a ninth trick in diamonds.
When EW stopped in 3 at the other table, England gained 10 IMPs.
This is from the BB match between England & Singapore. In the Open Room Forrester & Robson made 5 for +600.
In the replay, Kien Hoong Fong was at the helm in 3NT and Allerton led the 8,
Jagger winning with the ace and switching to the Q. Declarer won in dummy and played a diamond and South went up with the ace to play a second spade. Declarer won perforce with the king, cashed three top clubs and the K before crossing to dummy with a club to exit with a spade. North could take two tricks in the suit, but then had to lead into the KJ. Well defended and beautifully played.