North-South vulnerable. South deals.

January 5, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

NORTH

u9 6 3

vK J 6 4

wA J 10 5 2

WEST EAST

xK 10 7 6 5 xQ J 9 2

uA K 8 uJ 4

v8 3 2 v10 9 7 5

wQ 8 w7 6 3

SOUTH

xA 4 3

uQ 10 7 5 2

vA Q

wK 9 4

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1u 1x 2u 3x

4u 4x 5u Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Six of x

Study the bidding and play of this hand and decide: Did anyone err? If so, who?

We would have opened one no trump with the South hand but can’t charge South for choosing his five-card major. East’s jump to three spades was preemptive — ideally East’s hand should have been more distributional. Also, with so much defensive strength and weak hearts, North should have doubled four spades rather than compete, so he is guilty of a major bidding charge.

West led a low spade, taken by declarer’s ace. The ace and queen of diamonds were cashed, after which South ruffed a spade on the table and discarded his remaining spade on the king of diamonds. Next, the nine of hearts was led to the four, five and king. West switched to the queen of clubs, taken in dummy, and a trump to the jack and queen lost to the ace. Declarer claimed the rest of the tricks to land his contract.

What is your verdict?

East was the victim of that old adage: “Second hand low.” All he had to do to sink the contract was to cover the nine of hearts with the jack. West would capture the queen with the king and, with A 8 poised over South’s 10 7, the defender must score two more trump tricks for a one-trick set.

Incidentally, four spades can be defeated three tricks as long as the defenders do not allow anything to get away.

2009 Tribune Media Services