North-South vulnerable. North deals.

North-South vulnerable. North deals.
NORTH
x K 8 5 4
u K 6
v A 7 4 2
w K 4 3
WEST EAST
x 6 x Q 10 2
u J 9 5 3 u Q 10 7 2
v K 10 8 v J 9 6
w J 10 9 5 2 w A 8 6
SOUTH
x A J 9 7 3
u A 8 4
v Q 5 3
w Q 7
The bidding:
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
1v Pass 1x Pass
2x Pass 4x Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: Jack of w
In the days when we were a two-car family, our plates read "8 EVER" and "9 NEVER." Combined, they're the old maxim about how to play a suit when you are missing the queen. With a combined holding of eight cards, finesse; with nine, play for the drop. More accurate, though, would be "eight ever, nine sometimes."
The first three bids of the auction were automatic. If you regard the queen of clubs as a doubtful asset, South might have been content with a game try. However, the queen in opener's suit was a plus, so we won't quibble with South's decision to go to game.
West led the jack of clubs, declarer played low from dummy, East encouraged with the eight and declarer won with the queen. The seven of clubs was returned, West inserted the nine and declarer ducked in dummy, the first key play -- had declarer covered with the king, East could have won with the ace and shifted to a diamond, and declarer would have to guess the trump situation to get home.
Declarer ruffed the club return and, following the maxim's advice, tried the ace and king of trumps. The queen failed to appear and declarer could not recover.
Declarer should have romped home. After ruffing the third club in hand, declarer should have cashed the king and ace of hearts and ruffed a heart in dummy. Next, South cashes the king of spades and leads a spade, covering with the jack when East inserts the ten. When that wins, the hand is over. But even if it loses, the contract is still safe. West must either concede a ruff-sluff, allowing declarer to trump on the board while discarding a diamond from hand, or else shift to a diamond. By playing low from dummy, declarer holds his diamond losers to one.
& copy; 2005 Tribune Media Services
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