Bridge | 18 November 2023

I have been bragging incessantly about my team’s success in the Gold Cup. What an extraordinary comeback we made taking 69 imps back in the last eight boards. I may have even mentioned it to the local newsagent. Well – that was then. After three weekends of Premier League not only didn’t we win, we have been relegated. NOT a good look. 

The event was won by Andrew Black’s team – many congrats to them. Today’s hand features David Gold showing us the importance of making a plan (see diagram).

The contract was the same at all 8 tables in Division 1, as indeed was the lead of the ♣️J, and all except one table made. The hand looks ice cold and it’s hard to see how anything could be of interest; the defence takes four tricks in Clubs, and Declarer has the rest. But that’s before you put a world-class player like Gold in the East seat. The ♣️J was allowed to hold, but the continuing ♣️10 must be covered as the Ace could be with West. David won the Ace and also cashed the Queen, but then didn’t take the last Club. Why? Because against 3 NT we need five tricks, not four, and the last Club can be cashed by either defender if they get in. Instead he switched to the ♦️Q, and now look at it from declarer’s point of view. He doesn’t need five tricks in Diamonds – four will do – and if this is a singleton Queen, it would be a disaster if West got in with Jxx to take the presumed remaining two Clubs. So South very reasonably ducked the ♦️Q, and now David took the last Club for one off.