This week’s deals have treated us to a deceptive play. I came across this particular deal in the archives of my colleague Alfred Sheinwold, the product of his six decades as a columnist for the game of bridge. It was published in his column “Sheinwold on Bridge” on the 25th of July 1986, which marked the beginning of our collaboration.
The deal was for six spades, with South leading a diamond to his hand. North had the king of diamonds and South the ace. South then cashed the ace of hearts and continued with a low heart towards the dummy. North followed with the three of hearts and the nine of hearts, and South followed with the ten of hearts.
North then led a low club and South won the trick with the king of clubs. South then cashed the ace of clubs and continued with the queen of clubs, North following with the jack. South then led a low spade and North followed with the nine of spades. South then cashed the ace of spades, followed by the king of spades.
At this point South had established his long spade suit, but at the same time North had established his long club suit. South now had a tricky decision to make on how to proceed. He could either cash his remaining spade winners, or try to endplay North in clubs.
South decided to cash his spade winners, and after cashing the queen of spades, North followed with the nine of spades. South then led a low club, and North followed with the eight of clubs. South then cashed the jack of clubs, and North followed with the seven of clubs. At this point South had established his long club suit, but at the same time North had established his long spade suit.
Now the contract was unbeatable, as there were no more entries to South’s hand to cash his club winners. North was endplayed in either suit, and had to concede the last two tricks to South.
This deceptive play shows the importance of being able to think outside the box and evaluate all the options available to you. It is important to remember that there is always more than one way to make a contract and that sometimes the most unlikely plays can be the most effective.
This deal was a great example of the kind of creative thinking and tactical play that Alfred Sheinwold was renowned for. His knowledge of the game and ability to think outside the box made him one of the greatest bridge players of all time. It is this kind of creative play that makes bridge such an enjoyable and challenging game.
I am grateful to Alfred Sheinwold for sharing his wisdom and knowledge of bridge with us, and for inspiring us to think creatively and analytically about each deal. His legacy will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of bridge players around the world.
