North-South vulnerable. North deals.

North-South vulnerable. North deals.
NORTH
A K
A 9 8 4
Q J 10
Q 7 5 4
WEST EAST
8 6 9 7 4 2
J 10 6 7
K 8 2 A 9 7 5 4 3
A K 10 8 3 9 6
SOUTH
Q J 10 5 3
K Q 5 3 2
6
J 2
The bidding:
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
1NT Pass 3 Pass
3NT Pass 4 Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: King of
If you need to find a specific lie of the card to make or defeat a contract, play as if that is indeed the position. Consider this deal.
Despite the excellent holdings in both of responder's suit, without a minor-suit control North could not move over four hearts, and that became the final contract.
West led the king of clubs, and East signaled with the nine to start an echo to show an even number of cards in the suit. West continued with the ace and the hand was now an open book. South's bidding and play had shown at least 5-5 in the major suits, two clubs and, therefore, no more than one diamond. To defeat the game, therefore, East had to have the ace of diamonds and the setting trick had to come from trumps.
If East held a trump honor, all was well. However, there was another chance. Should East's singleton trump be the seven, a trump promotion could be created. However, it would not do to lead a third club now -- instead of overruffing, declarer could simply discard his losing diamond and claim the rest.
Once the problem had been isolated, the solution was simple. West switched to the king of diamonds. When that held, West reverted to a low club, East ruffed with seven, forcing declarer to overruff with an honor and setting up the jack of trumps as the setting 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.
& copy; 2006, Tribune Media Services
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