BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable. North deals.
NORTH
x K 8 6 5 3
u J
v J 8 6 4 3
w 7 4
WEST EAST
x Q 4 x A J
u K 9 8 6 3 2 u A Q 7
v Q 10 7 5 v A K 9 2
w Q w A 10 8 3
SOUTH
x 10 9 7 2
u 10 5 4
v Void
w K J 9 6 5 2
The bidding:
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
Pass 1w Pass 1u
Dbl Rdbl 4x Pass
Pass Dbl Pass Pass
Pass
Opening lead: Queen of w
The best bridge book of the year, without a doubt, is "The New York Times Bridge Book," by Alan and Dorothy Truscott (St. Martin's Press, hardcover, 263 pp. $25.95). It is loaded with anecdotes of history and personalities. In addition, it describes how the game and many of its systems developed. Buy it for a bridge-playing friend for Christmas and you will be remembered for years to come.
This deal, played more than a half-century ago, features two of the immortals of British bridge -- S.J. Simon, author of one of the most widely read books on the game "Why You Lose at Bridge," and Maurice Harrison Gray, theoretician, writer and one of the great personalities of the game, sitting North-South respectively.
For some reason East elected to open one club rather than two no trump. As a passed hand, North's double was for takeout. At some point West should surely have bid five hearts, but he elected to sit for the double of four spades.
Had East continued with clubs after winning the first trick with the ace, the contract would have been down two doubled. But East didn't think West held a singleton and, instead, elected to cut down on dummy's ruffing power by shifting to the ace and jack of spades. Declarer came to hand with a diamond ruff, cashed the king and jack of clubs and set up the suit with a ruff. South came back to hand with another diamond ruff to run clubs, making four spades doubled with an overtrick.
& copy; 2003, Tribune Media Services