Both vulnerable. South deals.

Both vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
A 9 6 5
K 7 3
8 4 2
10 5 3
WEST EAST
Q 7 2 4
J 9 5 A Q 10 2
9 3 10 7 6
A K 9 8 7 Q J 6 4 2
SOUTH
K J 10 8 3
8 6 4
A K Q J 5
Void
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1 Pass 2 Pass
4 Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: King of
None of the bridge maxims are engraved in stone. They hold true in the majority of cases, but each hand must be treated on its own merits.
There is no good reason for West to overcall South's one-spade opening bid with two clubs. It does not rob responder of much bidding room, serves no lead-directing purpose and might offer options to the opponents. After North's raise, South was easily worth a jump to game.
West led the king of clubs, ruffed by declarer. South cashed the ace and king of spades ("Eight ever, nine never"), but the queen did not drop. Declarer would still have been safe had West held four diamonds since he would have been able to discard a heart on the fourth diamond as West ruffed. Unfortunately West ruffed and shifted to the jack of hearts -- down one.
This was the wrong time to apply an adage -- a safety play was called for to assure the contract. At trick two South should cash the ace of spades and continue with a spade to the nine if West follows. If it holds, declarer can draw the last trump and run diamonds for an overtrick. If it loses, no return from East harms declarer and he still makes an overtrick.
& copy;2007 Tribune Media Services
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