bridge

October 8, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

bridge

North-South vulnerable. North deals.

NORTH

xQ 8 6 5

uA K

vK 10 8

wK 5 3 2

WEST EAST

x3 xK J 10 9 7 4 2

uQ J 4 2 u6

v6 5 4 2 vQ J 9

wQ J 6 4 w8 7

SOUTH

u10 9 8 7 5 3

vA 7 3

wA 10 9

The bidding:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1NT 3x 4u Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Three of x

Every card has a story to tell. The only language the defenders have to tell partner what to do is the cards they choose to play. This is a typical example.

The auction was straightforward. At favorable vulnerability East did the best he could to disrupt the opposing auction, but South had ample to continue to the best contract.

West led a marked singleton spade, and East had to make sure that, later in the play, West had a safe exit. Declarer won the opening lead with the ace, led a heart to the king and continued with the ace. East discarded the jack of spades!

Since that could not possibly be asking for a spade, it had to ask for the higher of the unbid suits. When West gained the lead he duly shifted to a diamond, covered by the eight and nine and taken with the ace. Now there was no way declarer could avoid losing a trick in each minor suit along with the two trumps — down one.

Note that, with nothing to guide him, West might well have shifted to a club on gaining the lead with a trump. Whether he led a high or low club, declarer’s loser in that suit would disappear and the contract would get home.

2010 Tribune Media Services