Both vulnerable. South deals.

Both vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
A K 8 5
J 10 7 6 2
7 5 3
10
WEST EAST
Q J 9 3 10 7 6
9 8 3
K 10 4 2 J 9 6
Q 8 7 4 K 6 5 3 2
SOUTH
4 2
A K Q 5 4
A Q 8
A J 9
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
2NT Pass 3 Pass
3 Pass 3 Pass
4 Pass 4 Pass
5 Pass 6 Pass
6 Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: Queen of
Study the diagram, then decide: Would you rather play or defend six hearts after the lead of the queen of spades?
South's hand was too strong to risk opening one heart, yet not quite good enough for a demand bid. The hand does qualify, however, for a bid of two no trump despite the lack of a spade stopper -- these days the requirement has been changed to promise only stoppers in three suits. Thereafter a cuebidding sequence led to the good six-heart contract.
Suppose you elect to play. You win in dummy, draw two rounds of trumps, cash the ace of spades and ruff a spade. Cash the ace of clubs and sandwich another spade ruff in hand between two club ruffs on the board.
The scene is set to lead a low diamond and, when East follows low, you insert the eight. That forces West to win and he has no safe return. A diamond lead is into your ace-queen tenace and any other suit allows you to ruff in dummy and discard the queen of diamonds from hand.
However, when you lead a diamond from dummy, East can scuttle this plan by playing the nine or the jack. You must cover with the queen, West wins with the king and returns a diamond, and you are stranded with a diamond loser -- down one.
But don't be in too much of a hurry to switch to the defense -- you can improve on your technique. Win the king of spades, cash the ace and ruff a spade high. Cross to dummy with a trump, ruff the last spade high and get back to dummy with another trump, in the process drawing the only outstanding trump the opponents hold. Now lead the ten of clubs and overtake with the jack should East follow low.
West can win with the queen, but he has no safe return. He must concede the fulfilling trick by leading into either of your minor-suit tenaces or by yielding a ruff-sluff. Try it.
This column is written by Tannah Hirsch and Omar Sharif. For information about Charles Goren's newsletter for bridge players, call (800) 788-1225 or write Goren Bridge Letter, P.O. Box 4410, Chicago, Ill. 60680.
& copy; 2006, Tribune Media Services
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