Bridge | 13 June 2019

Bridge is such a complex, multi-layered game that a single hand can be approached in myriad ways, depending on the skill of the player. In fact, peering into the mind of a world-class player is a bit like entering another dimension; there are possibilities you didn’t even know existed.
 
At a recent pairs tournament, most North-South pairs bid and made 4♠ on the deal below. How, I wondered, did Artur Malinowski manage an overtrick? His answer blew me away:
 
West (Justin Hackett) led a trump. Artur drew a second round, then ran the ♦9 to  East’s ♦A. East switched to a heart. West won the ♥Q with his ♥K, and returned the ♥J to Artur’s ♥A. Ten tricks were in the bag: 5 spades, the ♥A, a ruff, two diamonds (via another finesse) and the ♣A. But could West be squeezed in clubs and diamonds for an extra trick?
 
Here was Artur’s thinking: West was a top player.