Both vulnerable. West deals.

Both vulnerable. West deals.

NORTH

x8 2

u6 5 3

vQ J 10 6 3

w7 6 2

WEST EAST

x9 5 4 xA J 6

u10 9 7 uK 4 2

vA 7 2 v9 8 5

wK 10 4 3 wA J 9 8

SOUTH

xK Q 10 7 3

uA Q J 8

vK 4

wQ 5

The bidding:

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

Pass Pass 1w 1x

2w Pass Pass 2u

Pass 2x Pass Pass

Pass

Opening lead: Three of w

Things were not going well for Trump Coup Tommy. Madoff and the economy had made a serious dent in his IRA, and a string of normal trump breaks had resulted in a lean wallet. As our readers will recall, Tommy was a rather ordinary player who was transformed into a star by bad trump breaks. He hoped that this deal would signal a change in his fortunes.

A straightforward competitive auction ended in Tommy becoming declarer at two spades. West led a low club. East won with the ace and a diamond shift might have been more than Tommy could handle. However, there was no reason for East to suspect that and the normal continuation of a club went to West’s king.

Tommy ruffed the third club and led the king of diamonds from hand, which was allowed to hold. West won the diamond continuation with the ace and was already trapped in an endplay. He shifted to the ten of hearts, taken by Tommy with the knave. Tommy tried the king of trumps, which was allowed to hold, then continued with the ace and a low heart. East took the king and was endplayed.

Since neither a spade nor a diamond would help the defense, East tried another club. Tommy ruffed with the seven and overruffed with dummy’s eight! The queen of diamonds was cashed, Tommy discarding his heart winner. In the two-card ending, Tommy led a diamond from dummy and East, down to the A J of trumps, was helpless. Whether he ruffed high or low, Tommy had to score his queen of spades for the fulfilling trick. Nothing unusual for Tommy!

2009 Tribune Media Services