Janet de Botton

Bridge | 20 April 2024

issue 20 April 2024

‘If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, chances are it’s a duck.’ For Bridge players, the problem is that it doesn’t always look like a duck and it rarely quacks. My regular partner, Artur Mali, says ducking is for experts, and goes puce in the face if I duck and it’s wrong – which it almost always is. I was reminded of this when watching a match in the popular ALT online teams tournament: 

What should South do at his second turn? I would prefer a double – seems most flexible – and if North pulls to 5♦ it may sometimes be the right place to play. East may also have had something to add to the auction, but if N/S have uncovered a big Club-fit, his hand may not be worth that much. So 5♣ it was and West led his singleton Diamond covered by the Jack, Queen and Ace.

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