Every good bridge player has a touch of larceny in his soul. To be a winner, you not only have to take the tricks you are due but a few of your opponents’ tricks as well. The fine point is knowing when to draw the line; when to be discreet and resist temptation. On this deal declarer got too greedy.
South correctly won the opening heart lead with the ace and led a diamond to the jack. When the finesse worked it seemed routine to cash the ace (West might have K-x) and then give up a diamond if necessary. Oops! East showed out, leaving declarer with exactly 11 tricks and no recourse.
Would a different play really matter? You better believe it! Instead of cashing the A declarer should continue with a low diamond to West (discarding a club). The diamond suit, of course, cannot be established; but this technique corrects the count for a potential squeeze. The contract is now unbeatable.
Assume West leads another heart (nothing matters). Win in dummy, cross to the A and cash both top clubs, throwing diamonds from dummy. Cash the remaining heart winners (throwing a club) and West is squeezed. He cannot hold on to his stopper in both diamonds and spades.
© 1997 Richard Pavlicek
by Richard Pavlicek by Richard Pavlicek