Review 129, Fall of the Cards, Richard Fleet

Reviews

Fall of the Cards - 100 Provocative Bridge Hands
by Donald Parson

SQueeZe Books (www.vivisphere.com/squeeze/squeezebooks.asp)
US$17, ISBN 1 58776 126 2

This book, another 'golden oldie' from American publisher Ron Garber, was written in 1959. I had not heard of Donald Parson before, and would have viewed with scepticism the idea that a book of such age, by an unknown author, could be worth reading. Happily, I would have been wrong.

The book, which runs to 280 pages (well over average for a bridge book nowadays), contains 100 problem deals together with their solutions. Some of the solutions are succinct, others more discursive, and many of the hands are attributed to a diverse cast of characters, both historical and imaginary.

The hands are 'provocative' in the sense that they will, or at least ought to, provoke the reader to use his or her brains. Ignore the bidding: this is antiquated 1950s Standard American, with forcing two bids. The play's the thing.

The hand which follows (diagram in next column) is one of the simpler ones. Consider the declarer play problem as South, with the (relevant) bidding modernised for convenience.

West	North	East	South
		1NT	Dbl
2	3	Pass	3NT
End

West leads the J and East plays the queen. Declarer correctly wins the first trick (West is marked with five diamonds and clearly has no more high cards, so there is no point in ducking; indeed it would be dangerous, giving East the opportunity for a damaging switch to a black suit).

To win nine tricks, it is obvious that declarer must develop the heart suit, and many players would lead to one of dummy's honours. East would win and return a diamond, not that it matters: because the hearts are 3-3, and no amount of unblocking by East can result in West having an entry, declarer will make three heart tricks and nine in all.

	A 3 2 K Q 7 6 3 5 3 2 7 5
8 7 9 8 2 J 10 9 8 6 8 6 4		Q J 10 9 A J 10 Q 7 Q J 10 9
	K 6 5 4 5 4 A K 4 A K 3 2

Of course, this is all wrong. All East has to do is to duck the first heart and then declarer will be unable to develop the suit - he cannot both set up the hearts and cash them. However, with best play, declarer cannot be thwarted: he must duck the first round of hearts entirely, saving dummy's honours for the second round (this would perhaps be more obvious if dummy's hearts were A-x-x-x-x). In this way, he preserves his communications with dummy irrespective of the defence.

The author introduces an element of verisimilitude into the play by allowing declarer to make the contract in spite of herself. She fully intends to play one of dummy's heart honours on the first round of the suit: however, having imbibed freely, she accidentally plays a small one instead from dummy. West, a stickler for the rules, insists that the mistaken card is played and so the contract comes home.

Richard Fleet