THE first session of the Junior Pairs and Non-Life Master Pairs took place at the Bridge Club last Wednesday and the second session will just have been completed last week. So full results in next week’s column.

This week’s hand is a maddening thing of beauty — one of those that seems ever so logical . . . once you know the answer.

Pairs

North-South Vulnerable

Dealer: South

North

[spade]Q J 9 3

[heart]A 6 4

[diamond]Q J 9 8 7 2

[club]—Wes>

[club]K ledSouth

[spade]A K 6 4

[heart]K Q 5 3 2

[diamond]A 5

[club]Q 3

Against South’s contract of six spades West leads the king of clubs. Dummy ruffs and plays the queen and jack of spades, East discarding a small club on the second round. At trick four declarer runs the queen of diamonds, which holds.

How should he continue?

Declarer should return to hand with [heart]Q, ruff a club, play a heart to the [heart]K, draw trumps and claim 13 tricks. Why shouldn’t he return to hand once with [diamond]A?

Because he needs the hearts to be 3-2 to succeed in his contract (unless East has specifically [diamond]K x). He should assume, therefore, that the hearts are 3-2, and not take a chance on the diamond break, which is immaterial.

The full hand will show you why this sequence of play is essentiaB>

North

[spade]Q J 9 3

[heart]A 6 4

[diamond]Q J 9 8 7 2

[club]-West E<$>

[spade]10 8 5 2 [spade]7

[heart]10 8 [heart]J 9 7

[diamond]3 [diamond]K 10 6 4

[club]A K J 10 9 5 [club]8 7 6 4 2South

[spade]A K 6 4

[heart]K Q 5 3 2

[diamond]A 5

[club]Q 3

This hand occurred in a National Pairs final back in the Fifties. The successful South was the well-known Lancashire player and British international Ben Franks. Some declarers, not appreciating the factors involved with the break in the red suits, tried to return to hand with [diamond]A. West promptly ruffed and led a trump, holding declarer to 11 tricks.

Hands like this illustrate just why we are addicted to this unfathomable game. The hand was contained in one of the best ever bridge looks R Bridge in the Looking Glass <$>by Jeremy Flint and Freddie North.