East-West vulnerable. West deals.

East-West vulnerable. West deals.
NORTH
A 10 9 8 4
8
K 7 4 3 2
J 4
WEST EAST
K 6 Q J 3 2
10 5 4 2 3
10 6 5 A Q 9 8
6 5 3 2 A Q 10 9
SOUTH
7 5
A K Q J 9 7 6
J
K 8 7
The bidding:
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
Pass Pass 1 1
Pass 1 Pass 4
Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: Five of
If you are short of a trick for your contract with no way to make it by force, try running a long suit. You might be surprised at the result.
With a side king in addition to his long suit South, Larry Cohen of Boca Raton, Fla., deemed his hand too good for a pre-emptive jump to three or four hearts. Once partner showed a sign of life, however, he got to four hearts via the direct route.
West led his lowest diamond, declarer played low from dummy and East won with the queen, dropping South's jack. With the ace of clubs almost surely with East, declarer could count nine tricks. No obvious 10th trick was in sight.
East shifted to a trump. South won and cashed five more trump tricks, coming down to four spades, the king of diamonds and a club on the table. To protect against declarer ducking a spade, East was forced down to three spades, the ace of diamonds and the ace and queen of clubs.
The rest was routine. Declarer crossed to the ace of spades and led the jack of clubs, and East was helpless. He could rise with the ace of clubs and cash a spade winner, but declarer would score the last three tricks with the king and eight of clubs and the last trump.
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
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.