BRIDGE

As dummy I became quite agitated as partner seemed to go into a coma towards the end of play on this slam hand. At the end he explained that there were two routes to success and he was merely trying to choose the more elegant. I wish people wouldn't do things like that...

Playing Precision South opened One Club (strong) and West made a weak jump overcall of Three Clubs. This took away some of our bidding space and we ended in Six Spades. (Six No-trumps plays comfortably for, after a club lead has been ducked, West is squeezed in the minor suits.)

Against Six Spades declarer was forced to win the lead of the king of clubs. Four rounds of trumps were followed by the two top hearts. The hand was an open book as West could be counted for six clubs and four diamonds.

The last trump forced West to discard from D 9763 C KQ and he parted, reluctantly, with the queen of clubs. It was now that partner tranced. A club lead prosaically establishes the twelfth trick by force but the neater the play, actually adopted, was to cash the two diamonds in hand, then exit with a club - leaving West to bring dummy back to life for the last two tricks.