bridge

July 21, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

bridge

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xK 10 9 2

vA 9 2

wA 7 6 5 4

WEST EAST

x7 6 4 3 xVoid

uK J 10 6 5 uQ 7

vQ 10 vJ 8 7 6 5 4

wQ 10 wK J 9 8 2

SOUTH

xA Q J 8 5

uA 9 8 3 2

vK 3

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1x Pass 2NT Pass

3w Pass 3u Pass

4NTPass 5w Pass

6xPass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Three of x

North-South conducted a sound auction to reach the spade slam — indeed, a grand slam might be made without a trump lead and with reasonable breaks. North’s two no trump was a forcing spade raise and both players took the opportunity of cue-bidding a singleton. North’s response to Key-card Blackwood showed three key cards, the two aces and the king of spades, (the king of trumps counts as a fifth ace), and South elected to settle in a small slam.

It seemed that 12 tricks were easy — five trump tricks in hand, three red suit winners, the ace of clubs and three heart ruffs in dummy. Declarer won the spade lead in hand and proceeded apace, crossruffing hearts on the table and clubs in hand. Unfortunately, on the third club West discarded a diamond and scored a club ruff and a heart, since declarer was out of trumps.

A key matter of technique in planning a crossruff is to cash all your side-suit winners before embarking on the crossruff. Declarer must first cash the ace and king of diamonds. Dummy still has three trumps for heart ruffs and declarer can come to hand with club ruffs, and will lose only the last trick to West’s long trump.

2010 Tribune Media Services