bridge

May 23, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

bridge

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xK 4

uA 7 4

v6 5

wA K 9 5 3 2

WEST EAST

x10 9 5 2 x8 3

uQ 9 5 uJ 10 6 3

vK 10 7 2 vJ 9 3

wJ 7 wQ 10 8 4

SOUTH

xA Q J 7 6

uK 8 2

vA Q 8 4

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1x Pass 2w Pass

2v Pass 2NT Pass

3u Pass 3x Pass

4NT Pass 5w Pass

6x Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Two of x

Unfortunately, not all roads always lead to Rome. At some crossroads, there’s only one right way!

North-South conducted a tortuous auction to get to the only slam contract that stood a chance. Can you find the way home?

South’s four no trump was key-card Blackwood in which the king of trumps counts as a fifth “ace.” North’s response showed 0 or 3 controls, and South knew which.

West led a trump and South had a difficult problem — whether to bank everything on a diamond finesse and a third-round diamond ruff or whether to set up the clubs. The latter was certainly the better shot — but the danger of an overruff loomed large. However, if both black suits divided no worse than 4-2, all would be well.

Declarer won the opening lead in hand and immediately ducked a club. East won and shifted to the jack of diamonds. Declarer rose with the ace, crossed to the king of spades and ruffed a club low. Trumps were drawn, declarer discarding a card from each red suit from dummy, and when both black suits split 4-2, declarer could get to dummy with the ace of hearts to run the clubs and claim the rest of the tricks.

2010 Tribune Media Services