BRIDGE

Both vulnerable. West deals.
NORTH
xA Q 10 8 5 4
u4 3
vJ 8 2
w K 8
WEST EAST
x6 3 xJ 7 2
uA Q 10 7 5u8 6 2
vQ 10 9v6 5 3
w 10 9 6 w Q 7 5 4
SOUTH
xK 9
uK J 9
vA K 7 4
w A J 3 2
The bidding:
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
Pass 1x Pass 2w
Pass 2x Pass 4NT
Pass 5v Pass 5H
Dbl Pass Pass 6NT
Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: Ten of w
At the bridge table, talk is seldom cheap. It proved particularly costly on this deal from the recent North American Bridge Championships in New York.
Once North decided to open with a one-spade bid rather than a weak two, the first two rounds of bidding were straightforward. South's third-round bid of five hearts was an inquiry for the spade queen, the trump suit agreed by inference. West seized this opportunity to make a lead directing double. Since North was now marked with nothing in hearts, he had to have the ace-queen of spades and king of clubs. So South placed the contract in six no trump, leaving West on lead.
South took full advantage of West's lead-directing double. Declarer won the opening lead of the ten of clubs in hand with the jack and ran off six spade tricks and the king of clubs. South returned to the closed hand with the ace of diamonds, reducing all hands to four cards. West was forced down to A Q in hearts and Q 10 in diamonds, while declarer held K of hearts, K 7 of diamonds and A of clubs. The dummy had 4-3 of hearts and J 7 of diamonds.
When declarer led the ace of clubs, West had a choice of ways to present declarer with his slam. If he discarded a diamond, declarer would score the jack of diamonds when the queen dropped under the ace. Instead, the defender blanked the ace of hearts. Declarer exited with the king of hearts to West's ace, and the defender had to lead away from the queen of diamonds into declarer's combined A J tenace.
& copy;2004 Tribune Media Services