BRIDGE

Both vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
x 8 5
u Q J 6 4 2
v Q 6 3
w J 7 4
WEST EAST
x 3 x Q 6 4 2
u 9 7 5 u K 10 8
v 10 9 8 5 4 v K J 7
w A K 10 9 w 8 3 2
SOUTH
x A K J 10 9 7
u A 3
v A 2
w Q 6 5
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1x Pass 1NT Pass
4x Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: King of w
Plan your campaign before you play to the first trick. Later could be too late!
South's four-spade rebid meets with the approval of this department. Replace all of North's red suit cards with one king and, after a club lead, declarer would only need a finesse in trumps for the contract.
West led the king of clubs, and it looked as if there could hardly be a worse dummy. South's first problem was to find an entry to the North hand. If that proved possible, South would have had to decide which finesse he needed to take.
The opening lead resolved the first problem. Since leading the king virtually marked West for the ace of clubs as well, South must jettison the queen of clubs under the ace. At trick two, West shifted to the ten of diamonds, covered by the queen and king and won with the ace in the closed hand. A club was led to West's ace, East captured the diamond return with the jack and tried a third diamond. Declarer overcame that hurdle by ruffing high.
The jack of clubs provided an entry to the table, and declarer correctly led the queen of hearts. East ducked (covering would not have helped) and, when that held, declarer switched horses and ran the eight of spades, underplaying the seven from hand. That enabled declarer to repeat the spade finesse and bring home 10 tricks.
Note that, if declarer fails to unblock the queen of clubs at trick one, careful defense can always deny him access to dummy. Try it!
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