Both vulnerable. South deals.

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xA 7 2

u5 2

vA K J 5 4 3

wA 3

WEST EAST

x9 6 xJ 5 3

uQ 9 8 3 u7 6

vQ 8 7 v10 9 6 2

wK Q 9 4 wJ 10 6 5

SOUTH

xK Q 10 8 4

uA K J 10 4

vVoid

w8 7 2

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1x Pass 2v Pass

2u Pass 3x Pass

4u Pass 5w Pass

6x Pass 7x Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: King of w

Frank Stewart has been writing about bridge for some 30 years. Besides his daily bridge column, his 20th and, he says, last book (“World of Bridge,” paperback. $25.95 postpaid from the author, POB 962 Fayette, Ala. 35555) has just appeared. He is donating the net profits to charities in his hometown.

Besides a host of interesting hands, it contains a fascinating overview of the state of bridge today. If you are looking for Christmas gifts for your bridge friends, you cannot do better. He will inscribe the books as you desire. By the way, get one for yourself as well. You will enjoy it.

On this deal from the book, South became declarer at seven spades after a rather aggressive auction. However, the slam is by no means hopeless. If either defender started with the queen of hearts guarded only twice and the trumps don’t break badly, declarer will be able to discard two clubs and a heart on dummy’s diamonds.

A glance at the full diagram is all you need to see that declarer will succeed if he takes this line — but a funny thing happened on the way to the forum! Declarer won the first trick with the ace of clubs and cashed the ace and king of diamonds, on which West dropped the queen!

Since diamonds apparently would now furnish just one discard, declarer changed horses. He cashed the ace and king of trumps, both defenders following. South elected to play for either a 3-3 heart break or a doubleton queen with either defender. He cashed the ace and king of hearts and continued with the jack and, when West followed with the nine, ruffed in dummy. East overruffed and the defenders still had to get a heart trick. Down two!

2008 Tribune Media Services