BRIDGE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021

In many suit contracts, declarer is faced with the threat of being overruffed b y on e of the defenders . Wh e n th e overruff seems imminent , de clarer shou ld s tud yh is options carefully before committing himself i non e directi ono r the other.

Consider South’s problem in this deal where he reach esf our spades on the biddin gs hown. East over takes West ’s queen-of-hearts lead with th eki ng, cashes th ea c ea nd continues with the jac ka tt rick three.

The biddin ga nd East’s first three plays combine to make it a virtual certainty that West is out of heart sa tth isp oint ,a nd th eq uestion isw hether or not to ruff with the 10 . To defuse the immediate threat, South could trump with the king, but the trouble with this is that it might promote the missing jack into a trick.

In the actual deal, if declarer trumps with either the 10 or king, he will go dow non e. Both plays establish a trump winner for West ,a n dw hen South later tries a clu bfi nesse, East ’s queen scores the setting trick.

If ruffing high or low were declarer’s onl yo ptions, he could not succeed as the cards lie. But there is a third option that makes declarer a very strong favourite to finish with 10 tricks.

His best play is to discard a club at trick three instead of attempting to win the trick. By doing so, declarer telescopes both of his potential lose rs into one trick, leaving him in the driver’ s seat.

Regardless o fw hat East plays next, declarer is home free. Another heart lead by East can be over ruffed by dummy if West ruffs, after which South has the res to f the tricks.