Saturday 21 July 2007

Example #24 - Final showdown

3NT can be set on a H lead by South, but the remarkably convenient 1D opening puts an end to that.
Where East found a 3NT bid over 3D is anyone's guess, but like we stated before: missing cold games is bad practice.
DealerE
VulAll
ScoringMP
Lead5
QJ64
AT982
93
42
AK32
Q53
K8764
J
T9
K4
AJ52
KQ987
875
J76
QT
AT653

WestNorthEastSouth
  1p
1p1NTp
3p3NTp
pp

You play CJ from dummy, North contributes the C5, you overtake with the CK and fire back C8 (!!) to the C3, S2, and C2.

You have 10 tricks for sure, but you might make 11 if you play carefully and opponents don't know the layout like you do.
When you cash 5 D tricks North holds on to S QJx and H AT9, while South has discarded a small S. Now you play a small H from dummy to your HK, cash S AK and play another S to North who is forced to let HQ make the last trick.

Of course, this was exactly the way Aruf played - but in the process something very revealing happened.
After winning C8, declarer continued with DJ!!!

Have a good look at the situation: there is no layout where the DJ play can gain, but there are plenty layouts where it simply costs.
The only possible conclusion is that declarer knew the layout and was showboating - he is literally shouting from the rooftops that he is using unauthorised information.

2 comments:

bboinquiry said...

ui

bboinquiry said...

You will be hard pressed to use this hand (24) as any evidence of cheating at all. To start off with, the club overtake and club 8 makes perfect bridge sense. The club spot lead (5) leaves 6 out higher than the 5, and Aruf can see all six. There is no reason to duck teh club jack (possible entry problems to get clubs going for more tricks), and the club 8 has a chance that south who is marked with the ATxx(xx) of clubs might duck.

The diamond play of the jack is a clear error. I would suggest that it was likely a misclick, given that it is next the ace. The diamond ACE is the correct play in this ending, assuring 4 tricks unless west held all the missing diamonds, in which case nothing works, without giving up on 5 tricks. Your leaping to the conclusion that the MISPLAY in diamonds is proof of UI is way off base on this one. This hand can not possibly be used as proof of UI.