Both vulnerable. South deals.
Both vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
xA K 3
u9 8 6
vA 6 4 3 2
wK 10
WESTEAST
xQ 6 5xJ 9 8 7 4
uQ 4 3uK 10
vK 9 5vQ J 10 8
wJ 7 6 4w5 3
SOUTH
x10 2
uA J 7 5 2
v7
wA Q 9 8 2
The bidding:
SOUTHWESTNORTHEAST
1uPass2vPass
2uPass3uPass
4wPass4xPass
5vPass6uPass
PassPass
Opening lead: Five of x
Let’s suppose this hand was dealt at your local club duplicate. You would expect the contract to be four hearts at every table. After a spade lead, declarer would win in dummy and lead the nine of hearts, covered by the ten and jack and losing to the queen. Declarer wins the spade return, leads a heart to pick up the king, cashes the king and ace of clubs, then ruffs a club in dummy and comes to 12 tricks. Flat board.
When this hand was played in the semifinal of a world championship some years ago, a heart contract was reached at all four tables. At one table, however, the North-South pair judged that their team was trailing and, in an effort to get back into the match, pressed on to six hearts! Here, too, the result was the same at all four tables -- North-South were held to 11 tricks! Can you see why?
When South led a heart from the table at trick two, all four Easts followed with the king of hearts. Now the only way to 12 tricks would have been for declarer to take a first-round finesse of the 10 of clubs! Not surprisingly, no declarer chose to do that. Whether South now returned to dummy to a lead another trump, picking up the ten, but losing to the queen, allowing West to play a third trump, or tried first to ruff a club, allowing East to overruff with the ten, 11 tricks were all that could be taken.
2009 Tribune Media Services