Bridge Today Daily Column

Issue #147 - January 2

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Preview

North (dummy)

J 10 8

A K 4

K Q J 6

5 4 2

West (you)

A Q

J 10 5

7 4 3 2

A 9 6 3

South West North East

1S pass 2D pass

2NT pass 4S (all pass)

Opening lead: HJ

Declarer wins the ace of hearts as partner encourages. Declarer calls for the SJ, low from partner, low from South. What is your plan on defense?

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The Grosvenor Gambit

by Barry Rigal

The Grosvenor Gambit was given its name by Frederick Turner, 30 years ago. The classic example comes from a trump suit such as:

A J 9 7 3

K 8 6 4

You lead to the ace, on which West follows with the 5 and East plays the 10. When you lead the jack from dummy East produces the 2; finesse or play for the drop? Well if East has Q-10-2, he had a sure trick, so presumably he is encouraging you to finesse, from an initial holding of 10-2. When this position came up in the Bal Harbor World Pairs, Kit Woolsey finessed, and found Zia Mahmood had Q-10-2, but had sacrificed a trick simply to wind up his opponent.

North

J 10 8

A K 4

K Q J 6

5 4 2

West East

A Q 6 5 2

J 10 5 Q 7 6 3

7 4 3 2 10 9 5

A 9 6 3 10 8 7

South

K 9 7 4 3

9 8 2

A 8

K Q J

South West North East

1S pass 2D pass

2NT pass 4S (all pass)

Opening lead: HJ

Declarer wins the ace of hearts as partner encourages. When declarer runs the SJ to your queen you play a second heart. Declarer wins in dummy, pitches his heart loser on the diamonds, and concedes the two black aces. Nothing you could do? Well, try winning trick two with the ace of spades and returning a heart. Declarer will surely not risk playing on diamonds before trumps. He will repeat the spade finesse, and your investment of a spade trick will pay dividends when you score your queen and cash your heart and club. Had your original trump holding been A-Q-x, your maneuver would have been risk-free, and thus not a gambit but simply good deceptive defensive play, but here the frisson* you get from risking your second trump trick makes it a Grosvenor Gamble.

*frisson = a shiver, shudder, thrill (from the French) - Chambers Dictionary

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