BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable. North deals.
NORTH
x 10 4 3
u A J 6
v A 9 8 7 3
w Q J
WEST EAST
x Void x A J 8 2
u 10 9 4 u K 8 3 2
v Q 6 4 2 v 10 5
w A 6 5 4 3 2 w 10 9 7
SOUTH
x K Q 9 7 6 5
u Q 7 5
v K J
w K 8
The bidding:
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
Pass Pass 1x Pass
2w Pass 3NT Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: Four of w
Sometimes you have to give declarer a trick to which he is not entitled to have a chance to defeat the contract. This deal is from the Cavendish International Pairs.
North's two-club response to South's one-spade opening bid was the Drury Convention, asking South whether his third-hand opening bid was sound or light. With an essentially balanced hand, South found the interesting rebid of three no trump.
West, Canadian internationalist and now Las Vegas resident Fred Gitelman, creator of sophisticated bridge software, led his fourth-best club to the jack, East following with the ten which, by agreement, showed an odd number of cards in the suit. Declarer now thought he could not afford to lose a trick to the ace of spades since the opponents were poised to run clubs, so he tried to come to nine tricks without spades. At trick two he led a diamond to the jack, losing to the queen. Gitelman saw that the club suit was blocked by East's third card in the suit, so he found the stunning defense of leading another low club.
Declarer now saw a chance for nine tricks without spades -- four diamond tricks and, with a doubleton king of hearts onside, three heart tricks to go with the two clubs already banked. He cashed the king of diamonds and led a heart to the jack, losing to the king. After cashing the ace of spades, back came a club, and Gitelman took four club tricks for down three.
& copy; 2005 Tribune Media Services