BRIDGE

North-South vulnerable. East deals.
NORTH
x Q J 3
u A Q 8 4
v K 5 4
w 10 4 3
WESTEAST
x K 10 9 8 4 2x A 6
u 10 9 5u J 6
v Q 6v 10 9 8 7 3 2
w 9 6w Q J 2
SOUTH
x 7 5
u K 7 3 2
v A J
w A K 8 7 5
The bidding:
EASTSOUTHWESTNORTH
Pass1NTPass3NT
PassPassPass
Opening lead: Ten of x
Duplicate and rubber bridge are more like two different games than different versions of the same game. The importance of overtricks and undertricks and the 10-point advantage that no trump confers over major suit contracts can lead to convolutions in the bidding and play at duplicate that are unknown in the money game.
Whether the final contract at rubber bridge is four hearts or three no trump, declarer should quickly wrap up the game, and the hand would be forgotten. Not so at duplicate.
Declarer's slightly off-shape one-no-trump opening resulted in a final contract that was game in no trump rather than hearts. As soon as dummy appeared, declarer saw that 10 tricks in hearts were there, but only nine at no trump. That would result in a very poor match-point score, so South set about trying to find a 10th trick.
The ten of spades was covered with the jack and taken with the ace, and a spade was returned to the king. On the spade continuation to the queen, East sluffed a diamond, and declarer, a club. Declarer continued with a club to the king, then cashed the king, queen and ace of hearts.
There were now two ways to a 10th trick. With West known to have nine cards in the majors, declarer could attempt the diamond finesse. If successful, declarer could then cash the ace and return to dummy with a heart to score the king of diamonds, collecting one spade, four hearts, three diamonds and two clubs. Instead, declarer continued with a club to the ace and conceded a club to East, making only two diamond tricks but a third club to score the overtrick and an excellent score.
Why did declarer choose this alternative? Because if West held three clubs, and hence, only one diamond, East might well have pre-empted in diamonds.
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