Colin Porch's favourite hand!

That’s an easy choice. This hand, played sometime in the early 1970’s in London, will always remain in my mind:-

  spade A 4
  heart K 8 7 5 3 2
    diamond 10 9
    club A 4 2
spade K Q   spade 10 8 7 6
heart Q J 10 9 heart 6
diamond none diamond A Q 7 5 3 2
club K Q J 10 7 5 3 club 8 6
    spade J 9 5 3 2
    heart A 4
    diamond K J 8 6 4
    club 9

At rubber bridge, and being game and 30 down, I dealt as South and opened 1spade Not everybody’s idea of an opening hand, I agree, but things were getting desperate. West overcalled 4club and partner chipped in with 4heart This was passed to West, who doubled, and partner, appreciating that she rarely made a doubled contract, decided that 4spade might be a better spot after all. Back to West, who doubled again, and this became the final contract. The clubK was led, and I mentally started to prepare my apologies to partner. Winning the Ace, I decided that I had to get something going, and advanced the diamond10. East pounced on this with his Ace, and, seeing West discard a club, continued with a second diamond, West ruffing with the spadeQ.
The clubQ came next, East completed his echo with the club6 , and I ruffed. When I continued with a spade to the Ace, dropping West’s King, the whole distribution was clear, and I attempted to claim my contract. This was NOT accepted, so play continued: A spade was played back, finessing against East’s 10, then heartA (to remove East’s exit card), was followed by the last spade to East’s 10, whilst dummy threw a heart. The forced diamond return gave a free finesse, dummy again throwing a heart, and West found herself squeezed in hearts and clubs when the last diamond winner was cashed!


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