Both vulnerable. South deals.

Both vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
x A K J
u 8 4
v A J 10 9
w Q 9 4 2
WEST EAST
x 10 9 8 5 2 x Q 7
u 5 u Q 10 9 3
v 7 4 2 v 8 6 5 3
w K 10 7 6 w J 8 5
SOUTH
x 6 4 3
u A K J 7 6 2
v K Q
w A 3
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1u Pass 2NT Pass
3u Pass 3x Pass
4w Pass 4v Pass
4NT Pass 5u Pass
6u Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: Ten of x
Looking at all four hands, it is obvious that declarer needed only a successful trump finesse to guarantee the small slam and, combined with a 3-2 trump break, to land all 13 tricks. Can the defenders do anything to divert South from the winning line?
After South's one-heart opening bid and North's natural two-no-trump response, South rebid hearts to show a six-card or longer suit. North started a cue-bidding sequence and South checked for the trump queen by launching into Key-Card Blackwood, and the response confirmed two controls but denied possession of her majesty into the bargain. South settled on a small slam.
West led the ten of spades, and East was impressed with the dummy that hit the table. It seemed that the only hope of defeating the slam lay in scoring two trump tricks. The key to that was that East knew trumps were divided unkindly and declarer did not. How can East, skilled in the art of card prestidigitation, talk declarer out of taking the trump finesse?
At trick one declarer called for the king of spades from the table, and East, with no hesitation, dropped the queen. Afraid that, if the trump finesse should lose, West would return a spade and East would ruff, declarer elected to bank on a 3-2 trump split or a singleton queen with West (a combined chance of just over 70 percent). So declarer took his two top hearts, and East could not be prevented from scoring two trump tricks. Down one.
& copy; 2005 Tribune Media Services
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