Neither vulnerable. South deals.

Neither vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xA Q 7

uA 10 9

vA K 5

wA 9 4 3

WEST EAST

x10 8 5 4 3 xJ 9 2

u6 uQ 7 5

v7 3 vQ 9 8 6 4

wK J 7 5 2 wQ 10

SOUTH

xK 6

uK J 8 4 3 2

vJ 10 2

w8 6

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

2u Pass 2NT Pass

3v Pass 6u Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Five of w

The premier event of the ACBL Summer North American Championships, the Spingold KO Team Championship, is arguably one of the strongest events on the world bridge calendar. This year there were internationalists from 17 countries (Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the U.K.) with an Eastern European team taking the title. Gone are the days when the top-seeded teams could coast through to the quarterfinals. This deal is from an early match between the No. 1 seed, captained by Nick Nickell, and an unseeded squad.

Both teams reached the small slam in hearts. After South’s weak two-heart opening bid, North’s two no trump inquired about the quality of South’s bid. Three diamonds showed a suit of only fair quality and both Norths went straight to the heart slam.

Where the world’s former top-ranked player, Bob Hamman of Dallas, declared for the Nickell team, West led a club. Hamman won with the ace, cashed the ace of hearts and continued with a trump to the king. When the queen did not drop, he cashed three top spades, discarding his losing club, and ruffed a club before throwing East on lead with a heart. Down to nothing but diamonds, East had to lead away from the queen into declarer’s combined tenace position. Had East still had a safe exit, declarer would have been able to fall back on the diamond finesse.

The declarer at the other table, Jeff Akers of Briarcliff, N.Y., received a diamond lead and played the hand in the same way — no swing.

2008 Tribune Media Services