Handbook - International Bridge Press Association

THE 1992 PRECISION AWARD
FOR THE BEST DEFENCE OF THE YEAR
Mike Passell (USA)
Journalist: Phillip Alder (USA)
A Passelline Brilliancy
By Phillip Alder
Suppose dummy holds K-Q-9-4 of spades and sitting
over it you hold A-J-5. Declarer, in notrump, leads low
to the king. Which card do you play? Sometimes the
ace, when you cannot delay the return of a particular
suit. And more often you drop the five, when you want
to mislead declarer about the lie of the suit. Almost
certainly declarer will waste a hand entry to lead a
second spade toward the queen. But you never play
the jack.
The hand below occurred during a Swiss Team
event in Canada earlier this year.
Dlr: South ♠ K Q 9 4
Vul: EW K 7 6 3
Q 8 5 2
♣ K
♠ 10 7 2 ♠ A J 5
10 5 Q J 9 4
9 3 J 10 7 6
♣ Q J 10 9 7 2 ♣ 8 3
♠ 8 6 3
A 8 2
A K 4
♣ A 6 5 4
West North East South
1NT
Pass 2♣ Pass 2
Pass 3NT All Pass
That was the auction at both tables. The first declarer
won the queen-of-clubs lead in the dummy, played a
diamond to the king, then led a spade to the king. East
won with the ace and returned his second club. Declarer
ducked and won the next round. Now a low
spade to dummy's nine kept West off play and established
nine tricks: two spades, two hearts, three diamonds
and two clubs.
At the second table the play began in identical
fashion: queen of clubs to the king, diamond to the
king, spade to the king. But here East, American
expert Michael Passell, dropped the jack of spades
under the king!
Not unnaturally, declarer, thinking East had started
with the singleton jack or jack-ten doubleton or tripleton,
went back to hand with a diamond before leading
a spade to the queen. Passell pounced with the ace,
then returned his second club, establishing his partner's
suit while West still had the ten of spades as an
entry.
When the diamonds weren't 3-3, declarer could
cash only eight tricks.
Passell is one of the best players of all time. He
won the Bermuda Bowl in 1979, and has a large number
of American National and Regional titles to his
name.
Surely that play of the jack of spades should go
down as one of the greatest of all time; and this deal
must be a front runner for next year's Precision Award.
"You never play the jack?" "What, never?"
"No, never!" "What, never?" “Hardly ever?”
THE 1993 PRECISION AWARD
FOR BEST DEFENCE OF THE YEAR
Bob Hamman (USA)
Journalist: Brent Manley (USA)
"Look before you leap" by Brent Manley (USA)
player: Bob Hamman (USA). The article was published
in IBPA Bulletin 341, page 10.
Dlr: North ♠ J
Vul: None K Q 6
K J 4 3 2
♣ Q 6 4 2
♠ 9 7 5 3 ♠ A 8 4 2
J 9 5 4 8 3
A 10 9 6 Q 5
♣ 7 ♣ A J 10 9 3
♠ K Q 10 6
A 10 7 2
8 7
♣ K 8 5
South West North East
Wolff Hamman
1 Pass
1 Pass 2♣ Pass
3NT All Pass
Wolff led a low spade, won by Hamman with the ace.
Hamman returned a spade, taken by declarer with the
IBPA Handbook 2010 65