bridge

September 24, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

bridge

North-South vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xK Q 8 7

u7 6 4 2

vK 3

wA Q 5

WEST EAST

xJ 9 5 2 x10 4 3

uK Q 9 u3

v8 6 2 v10 9 7 5 4

w10 4 2 w9 8 7 6

SOUTH

xA 6

uA J 10 8 5

vA Q J

wK J 3

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1u Pass 2NT Pass

4NT Pass 5v Pass

6u Dbl Pass Pass

Pass

Opening lead: Two of x

Greed is as misplaced at the bridge table as in any other facet of life. It cost West a bundle on this deal.

North’s two no trump was a forcing raise in hearts. South launched into key-card Blackwood, where the king of trumps counts as the fifth “ace.” North’s response showed one key-card, so South, knowing that either the king of trumps or the ace of clubs was missing, settled in the small slam. West made a double he will regret for many years to come.

As soon as dummy appeared, declarer realized that West could be doubling only on expected trump tricks. Instead of making the percentage play of two finesses, which would have led to the contract’s defeat, South chose to try to make one of West’s trump tricks vanish.

He won the opening spade lead in hand, crossed to the king and ruffed a spade in hand. Dummy was re-entered with the king of diamonds and the good queen of spades was ruffed to reduce declarer’s trump holding to three. After clearing the top clubs and the ace of diamonds, declarer ruffed a diamond to end in dummy. Down to a three-card ending, declarer led a trump to his ten. West won with the queen, but then was forced to lead a trump away from the king into declarer’s A J tenace. The double produced a swing of 1,760 points — 1,660 for making the doubled slam instead of -100 for simply down one.

2010 Tribune Media Services