Both vulnerable. West deals.
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