Both vulnerable. North deals.

Both vulnerable. North deals.
NORTH
A 9 8
J 10 6 5 2
A 10 2
K 8
WEST EAST
K 7 5 3 Q J 6 2
K 8 A 9 7 4
K J 9 7 4 Q 8 6 3
3 2 Q
SOUTH
10 4
Q 3
5
A J 10 9 7 6 5 4
The bidding:
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
1NT Pass 5 Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: Seven of
Yesterday, we featured brilliant play by one of the world's top players, Geir Helgemo. Today, we show him as a victim of a stunning gambit by another of the world's stars, U.S. world champion Jeff Meckstroth.
Meckstroth and his partner, Eric Rodwell, are among the world's top pairs. They play a forcing club system, and their one-no-trump opening bids are 12-15 points. Who knows what the right bid by South is. With partner having the king of clubs, three no trump is a cakewalk; if not ... certainly, five clubs cannot be faulted.
West led the seven of diamonds and Meckstroth called for dummy's ten! Helgemo's queen won and, not unnaturally, he returned a diamond -- and the contract could no longer be defeated as the cards lie.
South discarded a heart from hand and won in dummy with the ace of diamonds. A heart to the queen lost to the king and West shifted to a spade -- too late. Declarer rose with dummy's ace and led the jack of hearts, intending to discard a spade if East failed to cover. When East rose with the ace, declarer ruffed, cashed the ace and king of clubs to extract the trumps, and then discarded his losing spade on the ten of hearts. Five clubs bid and made.
& copy;2006 Tribune Media Services
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