Both vulnerable. West deals.


March 24, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Both vulnerable. West deals.

NORTH

xQ 7 6 4 3

uJ

vK 8 5

wA J 10 3

WESTEAST

xA 9 2xK J 10 8

u10 7 4uA Q 9 8 2

vQ J 7 6 2v10 9

w8 5w7 6

SOUTH

x5

uK 6 5 3

vA 4 3

wK Q 9 4 2

The bidding:

WESTNORTHEASTSOUTH

PassPass1u2w

2u2xPass2NT

Pass3wPass3v

Pass3uPass3x

Pass5wPassPass

Pass

Opening lead: Four of u

Study the diagram and the bidding and decide: Was the result normal? If not, what could have been done to change the outcome?

North-South toyed with various contracts before settling down in a club game. West led a heart to the jack and ace and East returned the queen. Declarer took the king, discarding a diamond from the table, and returned the five of spades to the queen and king. No matter how the defense proceeded, declarer had the entries to set up and cash the fifth spade, using a diamond ruff as one of the entries, and lost only one trick in each major.

However, the defense could have prevailed by leading a diamond or a trump. As West knows that North-South have reached game holding little more than half the points in the deck, it is usually sound practice to cut declarer’s ruffing power by leading a trump. When next the defenders gain the lead, a second trump leaves declarer an entry short to set up and cash the table’s fifth spade, and the contract must fail.

2009 Tribune Media Services