Both vulnerable. West deals.

Both vulnerable. West deals.

NORTH

xK Q J 8 5 4

uA K J 5

v3

wA 10

WEST EAST

x6 xA 7 3 2

uQ 8 7 u6 4 3

vA K 10 9 2 vQ 8

w9 6 5 3 wK 8 4 2

SOUTH

x10 9

u10 9 2

vJ 7 6 5 4

wQ J 7

The bidding:

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

2v Dbl Pass 2u

Pass 3v Pass 3NT

Pass 4u Pass Pass

Pass

Opening lead: Six of x

These days of light and off-shape opening bids can make life at the table difficult, but it can boomerang, as this deal highlights.

Where West passed, there was no way for North-South to get to game. After the weak two-diamond opening bid against the eventual winners of the Wernher Open Pairs at the recent ACBL Summer North American Championship, Nikolay Demirev and Nicolas L’Ecuyer, North made a takeout double, and South was forced to respond in a three-card major. North followed with a diamond cue-bid and North corrected South’s three no trump to the major-suit game.

West led his singleton spade, East won with ace and returned the deuce to show a club entry. West cashed a diamond and then duly shifted to a club, but declarer won with the ace, cashed the ace and king of hearts, dropping the queen, and took two rounds of spades to discard his remaining clubs. A club ruff in hand was followed by a diamond ruff in dummy and, after drawing the remaining trump, the table was high.

Note that the contract could have been defeated if, after ruffing the spade, West simply cashed the ace of diamonds and continued with a low diamond. But West expected to find South with four hearts and East with only two.

SCrt 2009 Tribune Media Services