East-West vulnerable. North deals.

East-West vulnerable. North deals.

NORTH

xA Q 7 5

uA 9 7 6 5

vK 4

wK 4

WEST EAST

x9 8 xJ 4 3

uK Q 3 u10 4

vQ 10 8 3 v9 7 5

wQ 9 8 2 wJ 10 7 6 5

SOUTH

xK 10 6 2

uJ 8 2

vA J 6 2

wA 3

The bidding:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1u Pass 1x Pass

3x Pass 4x Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Nine of x

This deal is from the Reisinger Board-A-Match Teams at the recent Fall North American Championships held in Boston. In this form of competition, winning a board by 10 points or 500 points each scores the same 1 point, while a tie earns each team half a point.

With two eight-card major fits, it was not surprising that only a handful of teams reached the top-scoring no-trump game. Also, most teams were content to play in game, so making 12 tricks, which depended only on holding your heart losers to one, would almost certainly guarantee at least a tied board, and possibly a win.

Where South declared, West was reluctant to risk losing a trick by leading away from a minor-suit queen and attacked with a trump. South won and drew trumps ending in dummy, then broached hearts. The expert declarers knew that the percentage play was the intra-finesse, as it was dubbed some 40 years ago in an article by Brazilian world champion Gabriel Chagas.

They led a heart and, when East followed low, inserted the eight, losing to the queen. West’s club return was won with the ace and the jack of hearts was led, pinning East’s ten and bringing in 12 tricks.

2009 Tribune Media Services