East-West vulnerable. West deals.

East-West vulnerable. West deals.
NORTH
10 8
A Q J 7 2
K 10 7 3
9 8
WEST EAST
A K J 9 7 6 5 4 3
10 6 K 9 5 4
J 9 4 2 6 5
10 7 5 Q 4
SOUTH
Q 2
8 3
A Q 8
A K J 6 3 2
The bidding:
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
Pass Pass Pass 1
Pass 1 Pass 3
Pass 3 Pass 3NT
Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: King of
This was the final deal of the Spingold Team Championship a few years ago. The team of Nick Nickell/Dick Freeman-Jeff Meckstroth/Eric Rodwell-Bob Hamman/Paul Soloway were trailing by 71 International Match Points with just 16 boards left to play. With four boards to play, the deficit had been reduced to 11 IMPs and two boards later the match was tied. There was no swing on the penultimate deal and this, the last of the 64-board final, did not disappoint.
The Jacobs team reached four hearts, and the unlucky trump position resulted in their going down one trick. For the Nickell team, Hamman and Soloway reached three no trump on the bidding shown.
West led the king of spades and, if you switch the seven and nine of spades, the defenders would have taken the first five tricks to preserve the tie. But the spade suit was hopelessly blocked, so West shifted to the ten of hearts at trick two. Since West, who was marked with the two top spades, was a passed hand, Soloway judged he was unlikely to hold the king of hearts. He therefore elected to rise with the ace of hearts and take the club finesse. All was well and 10 tricks rolled in. Nickell had outscored his opponents by 82 IMPs in the last segment to win by 11.
& copy; 2007, Tribune Media Services
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