Janet de Botton

Bridge | 23 May 2020

issue 23 May 2020

Well, what can I say? I have been nowhere. Seen no one. Done nothing. Unless you count watching damaging amounts of TV, going for a little stroll (not) every day, reading and, ofc, playing bridge online. It’s enough already. I miss normal life — and I don’t just mean hugging the grandchildren (who, btw, loathe hugging but love playing cards). It’s all the clichéd things that I am lucky enough to take for granted.

But some things can’t be rushed, as today’s hand ever so cleverly illustrates in the diagram.

West led the ♥3 to the Ace, and a small Heart was returned to the Queen and King. West paused. It was clear the defence could take the first four tricks, but was it right to do so? If they cash their four tricks in Hearts, when declarer takes Ace, King and Queen of Clubs it squeezes East’s hand to a pulp; he has to give up on either Diamonds or Spades.

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