Author Mike Lawrence, three-time Bermuda Bowl champion with the Dallas Aces, has a new offering, “My Life With Bridge,” published by Baron Barclay. In it, he recounts stories from his personal life and playing career, including some of his most notable bridge exploits.
Near the end of his book, he gives several deals, split into ones he did well on and others not so well. We start with one of his regrets.
This deal was played before the advent of Roman Key-Card Blackwood, which might explain why experts Norman Kay and Edgar Kaplan reached the diamond grand slam missing the trump king. Not only that, but they were also lacking the 10-spot. Lawrence sat West and led the heart queen, taken in dummy for a trump finesse of the queen. When Lawrence followed with the seven, Kaplan had no choice but to lay down the diamond ace — he could not succeed if East had K-10 remaining — and make his grand slam.
Lawrence laments that he would have beaten the contract if he had made the mandatory false-card of dropping the diamond 10 under South’s queen. This would all but compel declarer to cross back to dummy and repeat the trump finesse in order to pick up K-x-x with East, and the only suit he could cross back with would be hearts. Unbeknownst to declarer, Bobby Goldman (East) was poised to ruff the second heart trick.
Nowadays, many players would act over one club on those West cards, which might have tipped declarer off to the winning line in spite of the false-card.