bridge

March 10, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

North-South vulnerable. North deals.

NORTH

xA K Q 2

uA 7 6 4 3

vQ J

wQ 4

WEST EAST

xJ 9 8 7 5 4 x10 6

uQ 9 8 5 uJ 10

v6 2 vA K 9 8

wK wJ 10 9 6 2

SOUTH

uK 2

v10 7 5 4 3

wA 8 7 5 3

The bidding:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1u Pass 2w Pass

2x Pass 3NT Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Six of v

Look at only the North-South hands. How would you play three no trump after the lead of the six of diamonds?

The South hand is nowhere near good enough for an invitational response at the two-level. And with unprotected secondary honors in the North hand, we don’t think the holding comes anywhere close to a reverse bid. We have seen better contracts than three no trump.

Reluctant to lead into dummy’s strength, West attacked with the six of diamonds. East took the ace and king and continued with the nine, declarer winning as West and dummy parted with a spade. West’s lead from a doubleton in the unbid suit suggested that the majors weren’t breaking, so South led a low club up to dummy, and West’s king won. At last West led a spade, taken on the table.

Declarer cashed the king of spades and queen of clubs and, when West showed out, declarer knew that East had started with nine cards in the minors. He now cashed the table’s two remaining spades and the ace and king of hearts, stripping East of his major-suit cards, then threw East on lead with a diamond. East was forced to put South in with a club to cash his minor-suit winners.

SCrt 2010 Tribune Media Services