Good card reading

During today’s KO semi final at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, David Grainger found his way home playing this delicate slam in spades to win 14 imps for his side against our team today. The cards were as follows :

Dealer: Vul:		Woolridge
		♠	Q9x
		♥	AQ10
		♦	A876xx
		♣	A
Taylor				Balcombe
♠	876			♠	K10
♥	8x			♥	Jxxx
♦	J106			♦	K9x
♣	Q98xx			♣	J10xx
		Grainger
		♠	AJxxx
		♥	K9xx
		♦	Q
		♣	Kxx

Grainger opened 1 spade as South, and shortly therafter was in 6 spades on a power auction, having shown a singleton diamond along the way. I led the Jack of diamonds, which Grainger won with the Ace in dummy.

Looking at all four hands, we can see spades 3-2 with the king onside, and the diamonds 3-3 to boot. But bridge is a single dummy game, and Grainger had no idea he was ‘cold’ for thirteen tricks at that point.

He cashed the club Ace, and came to his hand with the Ace of spades, first looking long and hard at the spade ten on his right.

He ruffed a club in dummy, and led the spade queen, losing to Balcombe’s king. Keith exited a club, which Grainger won in his hand with the king, and drew the last trump. He played one more trump, pitching a diamond from dummy as we both pitched clubs, and came down to :

Dealer: South Vul: None		Woolridge
		♠	void
		♥	AQ10
		♦	87
		♣	void
Taylor				Balcombe
♠	void			♠	void
♥	8x			♥	Jxxx
♦	10x			♦	K
♣	Q			♣	void
		Grainger
		♠	5
		♥	K9xx
		♦	void
		♣	void

Relying on instinct and his card reading skills, Grainger played the AQ of hearts from dummy, and boldly ran the ten of hearts on the third round of the suit.

I wished we had been playing Rusinow leads, for then I would still have the diamond Jack in my hand and could have played it now, causing at least a flutter, if not a mild heart attack in David!

As it is, I showed out, Grainger exhaled, and the slam was bid and made. Well done.