Bridge

June 15, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Bridge

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

u9 4

vA K 10 8 5

wA K Q 9 3

WEST EAST

xA K J 7 x10 9 6 4

u3 uK 5 2

v9 7 6 2 vQ 4 3

wJ 10 8 4 w7 5 2

SOUTH

xQ 5 3 2

uA Q J 10 8 7 6

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

3u Pass 6u Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: King of x

Defense at bridge is the most difficult facet of the game. What we can see in dummy and what inference we can draw from the cards partner plays, and the order in which he or she plays them, is all we have to direct us to the best line. For the rest of this week we will look at some of the situations.

The bidding was simple enough. For North to do nothing more than raise to the small slam was logical because of his singleton spade. (South’s pre-empt denied a second ace.)

West led the king of spades and it did not take East long to find the winning defense — he signaled with the ten of spades. There are times when, in this situation, East can direct a switch by playing a low or a high card, depending on the suit he wants led next. Here, however, there was no reasonable shift so, when East followed with the ten of spades, it was clearly a request for West to continue with the suit. Declarer ruffed the continuation on the table, but now there was no way to pick up the king of trumps — down one.

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