Both vulnerable. West deals.

Both vulnerable. West deals.
NORTH
A 7 6 2
K 4 3
10 6 5
9 8 7
WEST EAST
K Q J 10 9 8 5 4 Void
10 8 7 Q J 9 2
Void 4 3 2
K 6 Q J 10 5 4 3
SOUTH
3
A 6 5
A K Q J 9 8 7
A 2
The bidding:
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
4 Pass Pass 5
Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: King of
Here's another deal from Eddie Kantar's Thinking Bridge series. South, declarer at five diamonds, started out with 11 tricks in fast winners but found a compression play to reduce that number to 10.
Writes Kantar: "Strong eight-card suits that lack opening bid strength are normally opened at the four-level, not the three-level." South could not do anything less than bid five diamonds and North does not have quite enough to bid on.
"Declarer should realize that there is a strong likelihood that West started with eight spades and that East is void. Rather than risk having the ace of spades ruffed, declarer should play low from dummy at trick one. If a spade is continued, dummy plays low again, declarer ruffs and, after drawing trumps, uses the ace of spades to discard a loser...
"Before playing from dummy at trick one, declarer should review the bidding for strength and distributional inferences. Typically, weak two-bids show six-card suits; three-level pre-empts show seven-card suits and four-level pre-empts eight-card suits. Use these numbers to help you in the play."
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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