East-West vulnerable. South deals.

East-West vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
x 6 3 2
u 7 6 5 4 3
v A J 5
w A K
WEST EAST
x J 9 8 4 x 10 7 5
u Void u K 10 9 8
v 4 3 v Q 10 9 6
w 10 9 8 7 6 4 2 w 5 3
SOUTH
x A K Q
u A Q J 2
v K 8 7 2
w Q J
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
2NT Pass 3w Pass
3u Pass 4NT Pass
5u Pass 6u Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: Ten of w
A bad trump break can cause a defender to lose his bearings. However, see if it can work to your advantage.
With any trump break other than 4-0, the slam would have depended on one of two red-suit finesses succeeding. As the cards lie, declarer was not up to the task. Can you do better?
South's opening bid showed 20-22 points and North employed Stayman to find the heart fit. We are not sure why North bid Blackwood (there was an outside chance if South held only 20 points that two aces might be missing from the combined holding), but the small slam was reached.
Declarer won the opening lead in dummy perforce and led a heart to the jack. That held, but the 4-0 break meant that East had a sure trump trick. South decided that the fate of the contract hinged on the diamond finesse, so he elected to try it immediately. Down one.
Have you spotted where declarer went wrong? After winning the second trick, declarer should return to dummy with the remaining high club and repeat the trump finesse. Next, declarer cashes the ace of hearts and ace, king and queen of spades and then exits with a trump. As the cards lie, East must return a diamond and declarer has the rest of the tricks.
What if East still has a black card with which to exit? Declarer ruffs on the table and can still fall back on the diamond finesse for his 12th trick.
& copy; 2005 Tribune Media Services
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