The Hamilton Spectator

They think of the unthinkable

BY PHILLIP ALDER

J. William Fulbright, who was a senator from Arkansas for 29 years, said, “We must dare to think about `unthinkable things' because when things become `unthinkable' thinking stops and action becomes mindless.”

Some bridge experts are good at thinking the unthinkable, making imaginative plays that never occur to us mere mortals.

If you were South in today's deal, how would you play in three no-trump after West led the spade jack?

North's three-club response was Puppet Stayman, asking for a fivecard major. When South denied one (and promised at least one four-card major), North signed off in three no-trump. (If he had been looking for a 4-4 major-suit fit, he could have done that over three diamonds.)

At a tournament on the Gold Coast of Australia, most declarers won the first trick with the spade ace, played the club jack to tempt a cover, but then won with the ace and cashed the king. When East took the next trick with his club queen, it was easy to shift to the diamond jack. Now declarer had only eight winners: three spades, one diamond and four clubs.

New Zealander Michael Whibley did better — he did the unthinkable, ducking the first trick completely!

Naturally, West continued with a second spade, and East, when in with the club queen, led a third spade. Now Whibley could drive out the heart ace and take nine tricks.

Yes, maybe West should have trusted his partner's discouraging spade signal at trick one, but that is much easier said than done.

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2021-11-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://thespec.pressreader.com/article/281986085833217

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