Neither vulnerable. East deals.
Neither vulnerable. East deals.
NORTH
6 3
4 2
Q 8 3 2
A K 7 3 2
WEST EAST
9 8 K 10 7
J 10 8 A Q 7 6 5 3
K J 7 4 A 9 5
J 10 6 4 Q
SOUTH
A Q J 5 4 2
K 9
10 6
9 8 5
The bidding:
EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH
1 2 Pass Pass
Pass
Opening lead: Jack of
If there is one area of the game where the expert holds a great advantage over the average player, it is in the art of signaling. On defense, the latter mostly tend to play cards more or less at random. With the expert, however, every card tells a different story. Consider this deal.
Sitting East-West, respectively, were Californians JoAnna and Lew Stansby in a team match at the recent Cavendish Invitational Teams. After East's opening one-heart bid, South's jump to two spades was not forcing. West led the jack of hearts, East rose with the ace and shifted to the queen of clubs, won with the king in dummy. Since a club ruff posed the main threat to the contract, South elected to lead a spade to the ace, on which West followed with the eight, and continued with the queen, West producing the nine.
West had to hold either the king of hearts (the lead could have been from K J 10) or king of diamonds. For which should East look?
There was no guess -- West had already "told" partner what to do! By following up the line in trumps, in their methods West indicated an entry in the lower side suit -- diamonds. (With the king of hearts, West would have played the nine of trumps first.) East shifted to a low diamond to partner's king, West returned the jack of clubs, covered by the ace and ruffed, and the defenders still had a trick in each minor suit to come for a one-trick set.
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
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.