Neither vulnerable. East deals.

Neither vulnerable. East deals.
NORTH
K 7 5 2
Q 10 5
A K 10 4
K 5
WEST EAST
J 8 A 9 4
J 9 8 4 A K 7 3 2
8 6 Q J 9 5 2
J 9 8 3 2 Void
SOUTH
Q 10 6 3
6
7 3
A Q 10 7 6 4
The bidding:
EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH
1 3 Pass 3NT
4 4 Pass Pass
Pass
Opening lead: Eight of
Here's an opportunity for you to test your declarer play. Cover the East-West hands and see if you can match the skill of Mark Lair of Canyon, Texas, and land your contract of four spades after the lead of the eight of diamonds.
The auction is out of the ordinary. Lair, South, started with a weak jump overcall of three clubs but, when partner bid three no trump and East showed a second red suit, he realized that partner must have some length in spades and suggested that suit as a landing spot, and everyone passed.
Declarer won the opening lead with the king of diamonds and led a low spade to the queen, which held. Any problem in the trump suit was resolved when, on the spade continuation, West produced the jack, covered by the king and taken with the ace.
East was now virtually marked with a 3-5-5-0 distribution and the defense was helpless. At the table, East cashed the ace of hearts and shifted to the queen of diamonds, taken with the ace. A spade to the 10 drew the outstanding trump and forced West to part with a heart. South crossed to dummy with the king of clubs and led the queen of hearts covered by the king and ruffed in the closed hand. Declarer exited with a low club. West won and could cash the jack of hearts, but then had to lead a club away from the jack into South's tenace.
If, instead of cashing a high heart earlier, East had chosen to exit with the queen of diamonds, declarer could win, draw the last trump and lead a heart to the 10, and East will have to set up one of dummy's red cards for the fulfilling trick.
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. Send e-mail to gorenbridge@aol.com.
& copy; 2006, Tribune Media Services
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