THE UPPERCUT

A Yarborough is a hand which contains no card higher than a nine and is so called after an English peer, Lord Yarborough, who was in the habit of wagering £1000 to £1 against the chance of a player holding a card as high as a ten. He certainly knew his odds, which were 1827 to 1 against

No one could have imagined that McTavish, with his Yarborough, could have had any influence at all on the outcome of the hand below.

Game all: North deals

One Heart from North and One Spade from South were followed by Two diamonds from West. North tried Three Clubs with his three card suit, but hurriedly returned to Four Spades when raised to Four Clubs, and there the auction ended.

Against the contract of Four Spades, West led off with the ace of diamonds. McTavish issued a come on sign, by playing the nine! West naturally cashed the king and followed with a third diamond. He looked aghast when declared ruffed in dummy and declarer discarded a club, which discard did him no good at all.

“What sort of game is this,” thought West, who was soon to find out. Declarer led a trump from dummy and West hit the jack with the ace.

“He is asking for it,” said West to himself bitterly, as he continued with a fourth diamond. McTavish uppercut the declarer by ruffing with the nine and all was revealed when West now won the setting trick with the trump ten.

McTavish had of course at the very beginning of the hand, concluded that no tricks were to be had in hearts or clubs and salvation, if any, could only come from the trump suit - hence the feint with the high diamond prior to the uppercut with the nine of spades.