bridge
bridge
Both vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
x5
u9 6 5 4
vA 9 7 3
wA Q J 10
WEST EAST
xK Q J 10 8 x9 6 4 3
u10 uK Q 8
vK J 10 6 4 v5 2
w6 3 w9 8 5 4
SOUTH
xA 7 2
uA J 7 3 2
vQ 8
wK 7 2
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1u 2u 4u Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: King of x
This deal is from a board-a-match team contest, where you get one point for scoring more than the opposing team or split the point if the score is tied. How well will you do on this board?
West’s two hearts was a Michaels Cue-Bid, promising a two-suiter with spades as the anchor suit. North had an easy raise to four hearts and that ended the auction.
West led the king of spades, won in the closed hand. Obviously, West’s second suit was diamonds and his most likely singleton was a heart. It might seem that the percentage play, therefore, was to cash the ace of hearts, playing West for a singleton honor. However, declarer found an interesting wrinkle. He ruffed a spade and then led the nine of hearts from dummy at trick three!
When East followed with the eight, declarer decided that East would likely have covered the nine had he held 10-8 in the suit, so he elected to play West for a singleton ten and inserted the jack. That was good enough to land a second overtrick and win the board by a mere 30 points!
2010 Tribune Media Services
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