Jacoby's double elimination

Larry Hammick
larry@hammick.com
2002.02.07

Elimination plays have been pretty basic technique since the earliest
days of bridge. But it is only rarely that the throwin can be can be
repeated against the same defender, to gain a second trick for
declarer. And for _both_ opponents to get thrown in on the same deal
is a very rare thing indeed.

Both vulnerable.
      T63
      AT42
      QJ
      9876
KJ9874      2
86          95
A9532       KT876
--          KJT54
      AQ5
      KQJ73
      4
      AQ32

South West  North East
1H    1S    2H    3C
4H    End

This specimen was played by the late Oswald Jacoby in the early
1930's, and reported by Louis Watson. West led DA, East signalling,
and continued with D3 to his partner's K.

The distribution is fairly well marked. Clubs are 0-5 and diamonds,
since they were not bid, 5-5. Since West has no more than KJ in his
spade suit and DA outside, he will have six if not seven spades.

Declarer ruffed the second diamond and pulled trumps with the K and T,
and then ran ST to West. West found himself thrown in, and chose to
lead a diamond. Jacoby threw a spade loser from dummy and ruffed in
hand. He now eliminated spades and led a club from the table. East
covered, and the Q won. Jacoby now led a low club to East, producing
another throwin, this one relying on a divided tenace in clubs.