THERE’S not a lot happening on the local scene at present although a few pairs did travel to the Summer North American Bridge Championships in Chicago and I’ll bring you any good results from that group. Later in the year, in October, another group are scheduled to travel to Barbados for what is becoming an annual fixture and more news on that later.

A number of standard bridge plays or “coups” have been given names which are either based on their inventor or on the type of play. Familiar ones are the Bath Coup, the Merrimac Coup and my favourite, the Morton’s Fork Coup.

The Morton’s Fork Coup gets its name from an episode in English history. Cardinal Morton, King Henry VII’s treasurer, extracted money from nobles around London with the following approach; if they lived well, they must have plenty of money to contribute to the royal coffers; if they lived frugally, they must have plenty saved. Whatever their lifestyle, they were impaled on “Morton’s Fork”.

This hand from Frank Steward on OK Bridge is a great example of how the Morton’s Fork works.

Dealer: West

Both sides vulnerable.North

[spade]Q 10 8 3

[heart]Q J 7 2

[diamond]A 5 2

[club]7 3

West East

[spade]4 [spade]2

[heart]A 9 8 3 [heart]10 6 5

[diamond]Q J 10 9 8 [diamond]K 8 7 4 3

[club]K J 6 [club]10 9 8 5

South

[spade]A K J 9 7 6 5

[heart]K 4

[diamond]None

[club]A Q 4 2

West North East South

1 Pass 3 Dbl

Pass 4 Pass 6[club]

All Pass

Opening Lead: [diamond]Q<$>East’s raise to three diamonds was pre-emptive. After South doubled, North’s cue bid of four diamonds suggested fair values and asked South to choose a trump suit.

At six spades, South seemed doomed to lose two tricks. He could force out the ace of hearts and discard two clubs on the ace of diamonds and dummy’s second heart winner, but would still lose a club to the king.

Do you see how South makes the slam?

In a Morton’s Fork Coup, declarer gives a defender a choice of losing options. Let South ruff the first diamond, deferring his discard on the ace, and draw trumps. South then leads the four of hearts through West, whose opening bid marks him with the ace.

West is impaled. If he plays low, South takes the queen and discards the king of hearts on the ace of diamonds. South loses only one club to the king. If instead West grabs his ace of hearts, dummy plays low. If West returns a diamond, South discards a club on the ace, comes to his king of hearts, returns a trump to dummy and throws two more clubs on the Q-J of hearts.

Bet you can’t wait to get to the Bridge Club to try this out!