Friday, July 23, 2010
bridge
Both vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
xA 8 7 5
uQ 10 9
v10 8 3
wQ 7 6
WESTEAST
xK Q J 9x10 6 4 2
u6 2u8 5 3
vQ 5 2vA K 9 7
wJ 9 4 3w10 8
SOUTH
x3
uA K J 7 4
vJ 6 4
wA K 5 2
The bidding:
SOUTHWESTNORTHEAST
1uPass2uPass
4u PassPass Pass
Opening lead: King of x
By and large, beware of taking ruffs in the hand with trump length and strength — try to take them in dummy. As usual, however, all “rules” have their exceptions. Consider this deal.
North did well to make the encouraging two-heart raise rather than the discouraging one no trump — the trump strength was the determining factor and the heart game was reached in quick time.
West made his normal opening lead of the king of spades and declarer saw that, unless clubs divided evenly, there was the prospect of losing a club trick as well as three diamonds. However, dummy’s strong trump holding suggested a line that depended only on a normal 3-2 trump distribution.
Declarer won the first trick with dummy’s ace of spades and immediately ruffed a spade with the jack. Declarer crossed to the table with the queen of clubs and ruffed another spade high. Dummy returned to dummy with a trump to ruff the remaining spade high with declarer’s fourth trump, drew the outstanding trumps and cashed the ace and king of clubs for 10 tricks — one spade and three ruffs, three trumps and three clubs. The defenders’ four winners produced only the last three tricks.
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