North-South vulnerable. West deals.

North-South vulnerable. West deals.
NORTH
x A Q 10 9
u 9 5 4
v K Q 5 4 3
w 10
WEST EAST
x K 4 3 x J 8 7
u A Q J u 7 2
v J 7 6 v A 10 9 8 2
w A 5 4 2 w 7 6 3
SOUTH
x 6 5 2
u K 10 8 6 3
v Void
w K Q J 9 8
The bidding:
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
1NT Pass Pass 2u
Pass 4u Pass Pass
Pass
Opening lead: Three of x
The 2003 Digital Foundation Award for the best-played hand went to a young Dane, Sebastian Kristensen. This is the deal.
After West's 15-17 one-no-trump opening bid, South's reopening bid showed hearts and a minor suit. North chose an aggressive raise to game.
West led a low spade, dummy's queen was inserted and it won the trick. The ten of clubs was led and covered with the jack, losing to the ace. The low spade return was taken with dummy's ace and the king of diamonds was led, covered with the ace and ruffed in the closed hand. Declarer now paused to take stock. Since the opponents were employing a 15-17 range for opening one no trump, East could, at best, have one of the three missing knaves and West certainly held the ace-queen of trumps.
Declarer continued his detective work by ruffing a winning club in dummy and then discarding his spade loser on the queen of diamonds. Next came a spade ruff in the closed hand, East contributing the jack. West was now marked with all three of the missing trump honors. With the situation well in hand, declarer ruffed a diamond in hand sandwiched between two club ruffs on the table.
With the lead in dummy, West was reduced to three trumps while declarer held two hearts and a good club. A losing diamond was led from dummy and South discarded his master club as West was forced to ruff. There was no way declarer could be stopped from scoring the king of trumps as the fulfilling trick.
The most remarkable facet of the hand was not the play, although that was indeed spectacular. What amazed us was that Kristensen, still in his 20s, has been playing bridge for less than three years!
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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