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Daily Bridge in New Zealand
Jan Cormack
Timing: Looking Both Ways.
As promised, we start our Wednesday “Jan’s Day” feature hand today. These articles featured in the New Zealand Women’s Weekly for about 10 years. They are fun and easy to read and are instructive. They are for the less experienced players. We will look at one per week. Enjoy.
“Timing the play of a hand is a little like looking both ways before crossing the road. One must take a good look at the hazards lurking around before leaping into action.
Exemplifying the necessity for careful timing is the key to the following deal:
| South Deals E-W Vul |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♥ | |||
| Dbl | 3 ♥ | Pass | 4 ♥ |
| All pass |
With East-West vulnerable, South opened 1
. West doubled for take-out and defensively, North bid 3. South rather liked his shape and controls and decided to bid 4.
West led the 
A and switched to the 6,( we asked you in which hand you would win this trick?) taken in declarer’s hand with 8. South cashed his top diamonds, ruffed a diamond and returned to hand by trumping a club. He cross-ruffed one more diamond and one more club, the lead then being in the South hand:
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What a pity South realised too late that he now needed to get to the dummy to trump his last club with A. Having no alternative, he played the 
3, taken by West. West returned a trump, thereby defeating the contract.
The timing of the play on this board went awry at trick 2 when South won the heart switch in hand rather than in dummy.
Three club ruffs are required in hand for which three entries to dummy are needed. Two were available by trumping diamonds and the third was the trump lead at trick 2. Therefore, trick 2 must be won in dummy.
An opening trump lead by West would have defeated the contract but who could resist the “natural” lead of the A?”
So, you had a 50% chance of winning trick 2 in the right hand. Were you successful?
Get your timing right..
look both ways
Tomorrow, we start our once a week feature for less experienced players. As usual, we have a “taster” for you today.
Pass and it’s all over
You must decide what ,if anything, you would bid as South with the following:
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♦ | Pass | Pass | ? |
Richard Solomon
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