BRIDGE

Both vulnerable. North deals.
NORTH
x Q 5
u 7 3
v 8 4
w K Q J 10 7 6 3
WEST EAST
x 9 7 6 4 2 x K J 8
u K 8 6 2 u Q 9 5 4
v 9 7 6 3 v K 5 2
w Void w A 8 4
SOUTH
x A 10 3
u A J 10
v A Q J 10
w 9 5 2
The bidding
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
3w Pass 3NT Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: Seven of x
Don't give up if the most promising line for your contracts proves impossible. More often than not, there is another road to success, if you can find it.
By the Rule of Two and Three, the North hand is a trick short for a vulnerable three-level preempt. That was more than compensated for by South's powerhouse, and three no trump looked like a very comfortable contract.
West led his second-highest spade, an accepted practice these days with a suit not headed by one of the three top honors. Declarer played low from dummy and captured East's jack with the ace. Declarer led a club, intending to establish dummy's long suit. His life took a turn for the worse when West discarded a heart. The problem was that East could hold off winning the ace until the third round of clubs, killing dummy.
The potential source of tricks became two entries instead. Declarer put them to use to take two diamond finesses. Matters improved when the queen held the first finesse. Since East had to hold up again on the next club, declarer was able to take a second diamond finesse. When the king of diamonds fell under the ace, declarer had four diamond tricks, two clubs, two spades and one heart in the bank. A spade to dummy's queen established the ninth trick.
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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