Thursday 2 June 2016

JOHNNY SUPREMO'S MASTERCLASS IN DECEPTION.....


Johnny sitting West found himself having to defend a 3NT contract carrying most of the defence's ammunition. His partner could only be holding a 6/7 card spade suit and sod all else.
On a natural spade lead he could see declarer making this contract if diamonds were to be tackled rather than clubs ( 5D, 3H ,1S and 1C). Therefore , declarer had to be persuaded to play on clubs instead. And this involved casting a spell and creating an illusion.
Declarer sensibly ducked the first spade , and the second but was forced to play his Ace at trick 3. Seconds after his spade Ace went up West calmly threw away the Ace of diamonds ! The trap had been set and declarer fell right into it.
Believing that West had performed this unblocking move simply to create an entry into East's hand with the diamond queen ,  declarer could now confidently turn to clubs knowing that he only needed one of the two finesses to work. So if West switched to a small diamond , all that was required now was for declarer to go up with the boss King . Given the suit was breaking 2-2 , West yet again would be unable to get partner in to run off his spade winners.
At the table at trick 4 , declarer crossed to dummy with queen of hearts only to take a losing queen of clubs finesse. As predicted Johnny fired back his low diamond with declarer gleefully going up with dummy's King. Then at trick seven came the second attempt to finesse a club honour, and even though East showed out in clubs , declarer's smile certainly disappeared but it at least he had taken the best line at making the contract. But when Johnny pounced on declarer's club 10 with the jack to miraculously produce the diamond queen to beat the contract declarer knew that he had been well and truly shafted by a master of deception.




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