BRIDGE

North-South vulnerable. North deals.
NORTH
x -A K Q
u -10 9 8 6 3
v-K J
w -7 5 3
WEST EAST
x -4 x -10 6 5 2
u -J 7 4 2 u -5
v-Q 10 8 7 5 4 2 v-6 3
w -2 w -K Q J 10 8 4
SOUTH
x -J 9 8 7 3
u -A K Q
v-A 9
w -A 9 6
The bidding:
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
1u 2w 2x Pass
3x Pass 4w Pass
4x Pass 6x Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: Two of w
Bad distribution can force you to take strange chances. Here's an example.
The auction was intelligent to a point. With a double fit and control of both minors, South made a mild slam try by cue-bidding four clubs. North showed no interest but South bid the slam anyway.
West's lead of the two of clubs was marked by the auction as a singleton. Even so, it looked as if North-South had missed a grand slam. That changed when, after winning the first trick with the ace of clubs, declarer started on trumps and West showed out on the second round. Declarer continued with dummy's remaining trump, then crossed to hand with the ace of hearts to draw East's last trump. Another body blow was delivered when East discarded a club on the second round of hearts.
Declarer's problem was how to establish a long heart when dummy had only one entry. West's distribution was known to be 1-4-7-1, which meant that East held a doubleton diamond. The odds were, therefore, 7-to-2 in favor of West holding the queen. Declarer saw a way to use that information.
Declarer cleared the remaining high heart from hand, led a diamond and boldly finessed the jack when West followed low. When that held the trick, declarer conceded a heart trick to West, jettisoning the ace of diamonds from hand, and on the forced diamond return declarer collected the last two tricks with the king of diamonds and a long heart.
& copy; 2005 Tribune Media Services