North-South vulnerable. South deals.

North-South vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xK J 6

u8 3 2

vQ 8

wA K 6 4 3

WEST EAST

x9 2 x10 8 7 4 3

uA Q 9 6 4 u10 5

vJ 7 5 2 vK 9 6

w? 9 w? 10 7

SOUTH

xA Q 5

uK J 7

vA 10 4 3

w8 5 2

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1v Pass 2w Pass

2NT Pass 3NT Pass

PassPass

Opening lead: Six of u

Avoidance plays are basically simple. Determine which is the danger hand and the way to keep the lead in the safe hand becomes fairly obvious. The situation on this deal is quite commonplace.

The auction is simple enough. With game-going values, North shows his five-card suit, then raises to game when partner shows a balanced, minimum opener.

Against three no trump, West leads his fourth-best heart and declarer captures East’s 10 with the jack. Since West probably has both missing high heart honors, East is the danger hand — declarer must guard against a lead through the king of hearts. To come to nine tricks, declarer must establish dummy’s clubs while keeping East off lead. That can be accomplished as long as West holds either three clubs or queen doubleton.

To cater to either of these cases, declarer leads a club and, unless West plays the queen, declarer wins in dummy with a high club. (If West plays the queen, declarer ducks in dummy, allowing West to hold the trick.) South returns to hand with a spade and leads another club, as before allowing West to win if the defender follows with the queen or rising with the table’s remaining club honor if West follows with any other club. If East started with three clubs to the queen, the contract is probably going down a couple of tricks.

2008 Tribune Media Services