The Uppercut by Foxymoron

It is interesting that "uppercut" gets two dictionary definitions. One is from boxing, as in the iconic uppercut that made Mike Tyson the youngest ever World Heavyweight Champion. The other is from bridge, and here there is a slight error.  One dictionary states:

Uppercut Bridge. a play of a higher trump than necessary knowing it can be overtrumped by an opponent but that if overtrumped, one or more trump winners in the hand of one's partner will be established.

I think that the first part could be curtailed to read "a play of a trump, knowing it can be overtrumped ..." as occurred on the following hand.

We missed the boat here. East opened 1NT (11-14) and South bid 2D, the popular multi-Landy showing a six-card major. I decided to invite with 2NT, rather than force to game with 3H. North passed and East bid 3C, forced. Now I bid 3H as West, invitational with six hearts, but my partner had seen me play them before and put down the dummy. Most reached 4H.

Missing the boat is sea-slang and seemingly first appeared in Florence Marryat, Captain's Norton's Diary, serialized in Belgravia (May 1870). It is now figuratively used for any missed opportunity.

In 3H, North led the jack of spades and I won, cashed one high heart, noting the queen from South, and then played three rounds of clubs. If they had broken 4-2, I could cash another heart and ruff the fourth club if necessary. They broke 3-3, but now North played the ace, king, and another diamond. South uppercut with the jack of hearts and promoted North's ten of hearts. Well defended by Martin Lerner and David Schiff.

Nobody found the most testing defence to 4H, which was for North to play three rounds of diamonds with South "uppercutting" with the jack of hearts. West can recover, however, from this body blow. [My partner points out that I am mixing metaphors here in that an uppercut is to the chin]. West can overruff, cross to the ace of spades and ruff a spade, and then play the ace and another heart. North wins with the ten but either has to concede a ruff and discard or open up the clubs.

Best defence then is for North to lead the queen of clubs, but declarer can and should succeed by playing for the club honours to be split, rising with the king before running the ten. Everyone made 4H, so either all the declarers found this line, or, more likely, the defence was not as testing.

Cover Story by Foxymoron

I liked a recent crossword clue which is simple but pleasant: Cover Story (5). I will leave you to post your solution in comments, and will only say if it is right or wrong. 

There was a story in the pub that Graham Horscroft needed to cover the second heart on the following hand. It is interesting to analyse if he should have done so:

The auction, I am told, was the same as at our table, 1C-1H-2C-3NT. Against Graham, North led the three of hearts, fourth best and South played the queen and returned the ten. Now Graham needed to cover to block the suit. Applying the rule of 11, South is expected to have three cards (11-8) higher than the three. The rule says that you deduct the number of cards you can see higher than the card led from 11. This tells you how many cards South has above it. So, South can have Q108, Q106, Q1082 or Q1062. If South has Q106, nothing can be done. If South has either of Q1082 or Q1062, then the defence only have four heart tricks and you have a chance if the diamonds are 3-3 or there is a minor-suit squeeze. But then it does not matter whether your cover or not. When South has Q108, as here, you have to cover, and the friendly minor suit lie allows you to make the contract. And South cannot pull the wool over your eyes by returning the eight, as the same principles apply and you must cover, playing for the unlikely QT8 with South.

The People’s Press, November 1835:
We are glad to find among the leading Vanites, at least one man, whose conscience will not permit him to ‘go the whole hog’ in pulling the wool over the people’s eyes

Stefanie Rohan did not get a heart lead, and naturally enough and correctly played for 3-3 diamonds. When they did not break, she only had eight tricks. To play for the unlikely blockage in hearts was not a viable option.