Deal us in

The difference in play
Edited by Claudia Fuller

West leads the six of diamonds, eight of diamonds from the dummy, and East plays the queen. Rubber bridge or team players suggest that scoring of match-point pairs distorts the game. They argue that luck and the need to take as many tricks as possible influence the priority of ensuring the contract. How would you play this hand, whether rubber bridge or duplicate?

Playing rubber bridge, the best play by South is to capture the queen of diamonds with the ace. With a certain eighth trick coming in the diamond suit, only three club tricks are needed to make the contract. South should make a safety play in clubs.

Lead a low club to dummy and win the ace. Lead a second club from dummy. If East should show out, South can play the king of clubs and another club toward dummy’s Jack, ensuring a third trick in that suit. If East follows with a low club, South should play the nine of clubs. He or she will win if East has four clubs. If it loses, that means that clubs are divided 3-2, and the king of clubs will collect the last club. If East follows to the second club with the 10 or queen, South will win the trick and continue with clubs.

Playing duplicate, taking only nine tricks may be a bad result if most of the other pairs win 10 tricks. Lead a club to dummy, but if West follows low, finesse dummy’s Jack. This will lead to 10 tricks whenever West starts with a singleton, doubleton or tripleton queen of clubs and a 37% chance of winning four club tricks. It has some risk, because the first-round finesse may restrict South to only two tricks if East has a singleton queen. At least you tried for that overtrick.

Donna Swan is a resident of Longboat Key, an ardent bridge player and an American Contract Bridge League certified director who plays “for the fun of it.”

SCOREBOARD

JUNE 2
Longboat Key Duplicate Bridge Club
Overall winners
1. Lori Brickman and Mary Lou Thomas
2. Jack Wilber and Larry Auerbach
3. Carolyn Gornowicz and Helen Schweyer
4. Cele Schwartz and Jayne Forstenzer

JUNE 4
Merrill Duplicate Bridge Club
Overall winners
1. Lori Brickman and Helen Schweyer
2. Jack Wilber and Larry Auerbach
3. Mary Lou Thomas and Carolyn Gornowicz
4. Jayne Forstenzer and Jay Jelinek

JUNE 9
Longboat Key Duplicate Bridge Club
Overall winners
1. Carolyn Gornowicz and Lorena Noyes
2. Helen Schweyer and Paul Massik
3. Mary Lou Thomas and Lori Brickman
4. Jayne Forstenzer and Cele Schwartz

JUNE 11
Merrill Duplicate Bridge Club
Overall winners
1. Jack Wilber and Larry Auerbach
2 (tie). Dverka Winitsky and Lois Kaufman
3 (tie). Carolyn Gornowicz and Mary Lou Thomas
4. Helen Schweyer and Paul Massik

JUNE 16
Longboat Key Duplicate Bridge Club
Overall winners
1. Mary Lou Thomas and Lori Brickman
2. Carolyn and Jerry Gornowicz
3. Jayne Forstenzer and Cele Schwartz
4. LaVerne Kutner and Jay Jelinek

Merrill Duplicate Bridge Club
Overall winners
1. Jayne Forstenzer and Jerry Gornowicz
2. Mary Lou Thomas and Carolyn Gornowicz
3. Lori Brickman and Cele Schwartz
4. Helen Schweyer and Paul Massik