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Bridge card game the most popular card game in the world |
Smother Play in contract bridge is a type of endplay where an opponent's apparent trump trick goes away. The situation can be best illustrated with the following end-position:
| ♠ | A | ||||
| ♥ | 4 | ||||
| ♦ | 4 | ||||
| ♣ | - | ||||
| ♠ | K6 |
N W E S |
♠ | - | |
| ♥ | J | ♥ | - | ||
| ♦ | - | ♦ | 1098 | ||
| ♣ | - | ♣ | - | ||
| ♠ | QJ | ||||
| ♥ | 10 | ||||
| ♦ | - | ||||
| ♣ | - | ||||
Spades are trump, and the lead is in the North (dummy) hand, declarer needing 2
tricks. It appears that the declarer is fated to take just one more trick with
the Ace of spades. However, if the declarer leads dummy's diamond, pitching a
heart (loser
on loser play) (as does West), East gains the trick and has to lead
something at trick 12. Whichever card he leads, South will play his trump and
West's king is "smothered" ? whatever spade he plays, South will take the last
two tricks.
Bridge card game the most popular card game in the world.