The first edition of Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridge by H. Anthony Medley was the fastest selling beginning bridge book, going through more than 10 printings. This updated Second Edition includes some modern advanced bidding systems and conventions, like Two over One, a system used by many modern tournament players, Roman Key Card Blackwood, New Minor Forcing, Reverse Drury, Forcing No Trump, and others. Also included is a detailed Guide to Bids and Responses, along with the most detailed, 12-page Glossary ever published, as well as examples to make learning the game even easier. Click book to order.  

 

Can You Make Seven Diamonds?

by Tony Medley

Can you make 7 Diamonds with this deal from the ACBL-sanctioned game at The Beach Club on May 13? My partner was John Lu. North was Charlie Warner and South was Grafton Tanqueray.

                 North

                S 654

                H QJ943

                        D 2

                        C J752

 West                         East

S  2                                         S AQJT9

H AK7                                    H 65

D QJT7                                  D AK54

C AKQ98                    C 63

                 South

                S K873

                        H T82

                D 9863

                C T4

 Bidding:

 South       John          North         Tony

                                P              1S

P              2C             P              2D

P              2H*           P              2S

P              3D            P              4D

P              4N            P              5C**

P              5N            P              6C

P              7D!           All Pass

 *   Fourth Suit Forcing

** Roman Key Card, 0 or 3 key cards

 Opening lead: ten of Hearts

The hand is relatively cold for 6N, but only one pair, Ann Peterson and Jerry Norman, John Wooden’s former UCLA assistant basketball coach, were in 6N. Some were in 6D, making 6. My partner, John, showed admirable confidence in me when he put me in 7D even though he knew I didn’t have the king of spades and he only had one spade for me to make a finesse. Also, it turned out that everything shaped up wrong. Clubs didn’t split, the king of spades was offside, and there was a horrible 4-1 trump split. Can you make 7 D? Actually, the only way it can be made is if the king of spades IS offside.

 I took the Ace of hearts and led a low diamond to my Ace, then another low diamond to the Ten. North discarded the 4 of spades, so I got the bad news on trump. I started clubs and South discarded the 4 and 10, so I figured that clubs split badly and that the king of spades was offside. I took the Ace of spades and started a ruffing finesse sequence with the queen. South covered and I ruffed. I played the king of hearts and ruffed a heart. That left me with the following holding:

                North

                S

                        H QJ

                        D

                        C J7

 West                         East

S                                             S JT9

H                                             H

D Q                                         D A

C Q98                        C

                 South

                S 87

                        H

                        D 98

                C

 Even though south has two trump to my one in each hand, the hand is over. I led the two spades and sluffed two clubs, leaving me with a spade and ace of trump in my hand and a club and queen of trump on the board, a high cross ruff that smothered South’s two trumps, making 7 diamonds.

 

 

top