BRIDGE

Both vulnerable. North deals.
NORTH
x -K Q J 3
u -A Q 10 6
v -4
w -A J 9 8
WEST EAST
x -10 2 x -9 7 5
u -J 9 8 7 4 3 2 u -Void
v -K Q 7 v -J 10 9 6 5
w -3 w -K 10 7 4 2
SOUTH
x -A 8 6 4
u -K 5
v -A 8 3 2
w -Q 6 5
The bidding:
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
1w Pass 1v Pass
1u Pass 1x Pass
4x Pass 6x Pass
Pass Dbl Pass Pass
Pass
Opening lead: Eight of u
Watch those spots. They might be crucial to your success, as this deal illustrates.
With only four-card suits, North South correctly bid them up-the-line. When the spade fit was located, North showed his strength by jumping to game and South carried on to the slam. East's double was Lightner, requesting an unusual lead, generally a suit bid by dummy.
West had no problem finding the heart lead, ruffed by East who returned the jack of diamonds. Declarer, Floridian Jim Mahaffey, won with the ace and drew trumps in two rounds. It seemed that the fate of the contract hinged on the club finesse, but that was unlikely to succeed. Since West had shown up with nine cards in the majors, hence only four in the minors, and as North-South had seven clubs and only five hearts, East was marked with club length. The table's 9 8 of clubs offered another chance, though.
Declarer cashed the king of hearts, led a club to the ace and then discarded two clubs from hand on the ace and queen of hearts. The jack of clubs was led and, when East followed low, declarer ran it. When that held, declarer crossruffed the last four tricks to net 12 tricks.
Note that it would not help to cover the jack of clubs with the king. Declarer would ruff, cross to dummy with a diamond ruff and take the marked finesse for the ten of clubs. Whether or not East covered, declarer would have the rest of the tricks.
& copy;2004 Tribune Media Services