BRIDGE

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xK 8 4

uJ 10 9

vA K Q 8

wA K J

WEST EAST

xQ 10 7 3 x5

u6 4 uK 5 2

vJ 10 3 v9 7 6 5 4

w10 9 8 4 w7 6 3 2

SOUTH

xA J 9 6 2

uA Q 8 7 3

v2

wQ 5

The bidding:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1x Pass 2v Pass

2u Pass 3x Pass

4u Pass 4NT Pass

5u Pass 6x Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Ten of w

Suppose you were shown only the North-South spade holding and asked: How would you tackle this trump suit at six spades? The correct answer is that you don’t know! It depends on whether or not you can afford to lose a trump trick.

Once North showed a game-forcing hand, South felt it could do no harm to show at least 10 cards in the majors by rebidding four hearts. South’s response to Blackwood showed two key cards and denied the queen of trumps, so North settled in the small slam.

West led the ten of clubs, taken in dummy with the king. The percentage play in trumps to bring home the suit with no loser is to cash the king and then finesse the jack. However, if you can afford to lose one trump trick, you have available a safety play to limit your losers to one on any split no worse than 4-1.

How you play trumps, however, is contingent on whether or not you have to lose a heart trick. Therefore, at trick two you must run the jack of hearts. Since you can discard three hearts on your minor-suit winners, you do not need to repeat the heart finesse. After the jack of hearts wins, lead a trump to the ace and, when both defenders follow, continue with a low trump, inserting the eight if West follows low. If East wins, there is only one trump still outstanding, which you can draw when you regain the lead. If the eight wins, cash the king and you lose only one trump trick. If West shows out, rise with the king and return a trump toward your jack, and again you lose only one trump trick.

2009 Tribune Media Services