bridge

bridge

Neither vulnerable. North deals.

NORTH

xA Q 7

uA J 8

vA J 8 5

w10 3 2

WEST EAST

x8 6 x10 9 2

u6 4 3 2 u10 7 5

v10 7 3 vK 9 6 4 2

wA J 8 7 wK 4

SOUTH

xK J 5 4 3

uK Q 9

vQ

wQ 9 6 5

The bidding;

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1NT Pass 3x Pass

4x Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Eight of x

The opening lead can determine how you play a hand. Here is a typical example from a club rubber-bridge game.

The auction is textbook for a pair who were not playing transfer bids after a no-trump opening bid. Obviously, three no trump is a sounder game than four spades, but it is nigh impossible to get there when the partnership has an eight-card fit in a major, and one hand is unbalanced.

From declarer’s point of view, West found the awkward opening lead of a trump — with any other lead declarer might have time to start clubs and, if the suit does not behave well, ruff the fourth club on the table. Here, South had to find some other plan.

The opening lead was won in hand, and the queen of diamonds was led. When West failed to cover, declarer spurned the finesse, rising with the ace. A diamond was ruffed in hand, dummy was re-entered with the queen of trumps for another diamond ruff, and all was well when both defenders followed. A heart to the jack was used as the entry for a third diamond ruff with the king, and declarer returned to dummy with the ace of hearts to draw the last trump. The king of hearts was declarer’s fulfilling trick.

Thanks to the dummy reversal, all the defenders could collect were three club tricks.

2011 Tribune Media Services