Knife Edge

9th August – Board 12: North/South Vul. Dealer West.

Whether you are playing teams or pairs there always seems to me to be too much at stake when the success of a slam depends upon the situation of a particular card. At teams you are likely to gain or lose upwards of eleven imps and at pairs a top score is likely to be changed into a bottom score depending on the vagaries of a random placement. Still I dare say it does add much excitement to the game.

Playing Benji Acol I can’t see much wrong with the above auction. South shows an eight playing trick hand while North shows heavy support and shortage in clubs via the splinter bid of 4♣. After South signs off in game North is surely worth one more try and from then on it is hard to see how it is possible to stay out of the slam. Not that you would want to but if you get an unhelpful lead there is a choice of plays. With eleven guaranteed tricks (six spades, the club ace and three club ruffs and the ace of diamonds) declarer is just looking for one more trick and he might try the diamond finesse – a good choice as it happens. On the other hand he might lead a low heart from dummy and make a decision as to whether to play the king or the jack from his hand. The king would be the winner here but can you see what a terrible mistake it would be for East to fly in prematurely with the ace, in effect taking away any choice from declarer and handing him the contract on a plate.