BRIDGE

Neither vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
x Q 8 5
u 8 6
v J 9 4 3
w A 9 7 5
WEST EAST
x 7 4 3 x 10 9 6 2
u A 10 7 3 2 u J 5 4
v 6 5 v K 7 2
w 8 3 2 w K 6 4
SOUTH
x A K J
u K Q 9
v A Q 10 8
w Q J 10
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
2NT Pass 3NT Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: Three of u
One of the first plays in the bridge players' lexicon is "Avoidance." It is a technique of keeping the danger hand off lead. Here's a basic example.
South's two no trump opening bid promised a balanced hand and 20-22 points. With a balanced 7 points and no four-card major, North had an easy raise to three no trump.
West led the three of hearts and declarer captured East's jack with the king to leave the defenders in doubt as to the location of the queen. Declarer had four sure tricks in the majors, so needed five minor-suit tricks to get home. A successful finesse in either minor would land the contract. Each finesse stood a 50 percent chance of succeeding yet, despite the math, the two were not equal! Since West rated to have the ace of hearts, East was the danger hand that had to be kept off play to prevent a heart lead through South's queen. While it might be tempting to take advantage of being in hand to take the club finesse, it would be foolhardy to do so. To lose a trick to East would be tantamount to attempting suicide.
Correct is to cross to dummy with the queen of spades and lead the nine of diamonds, running it if East follows low. When it wins, declarer is still on the table to lead the jack for a repeat finesse. As long as East holds the king, nine tricks are guaranteed.
What if the diamond finesse loses? South can still try the club finesse and hope for the best.
XThis column is written by Tannah Hirsch and Omar Sharif. For information about Charles Goren's newsletter for bridge players, call (800) 788-1225 or write Goren Bridge Letter, P.O. Box 4410, Chicago, Ill. 60680.
& copy; 2004, Tribune Media Services
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