bridge

bridge

Neither vulnerable. North deals.

NORTH

xA 9 5 4

uK Q

vQ 2

wA K Q 9 7

WEST EAST

xQ J 7 3 x8 2

uJ 7 5 4 3 2 u9 6

v4 3 vK 7 6 5

w4 wJ 8 5 3 2

SOUTH

xK 10 6

uA 10 8

vA J 10 9 8

w10 6

The bidding:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1w Pass 2NT Pass

6NT Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Four of u

Assume you have reached the excellent contract of six no trump and receive the lead of a low heart. How would you play the hand at rubber bridge? Would you adopt a different line at duplicate pairs?

The bidding is simple enough. The five-card diamond suit and excellent intermediates more than compensate for the one point purists might claim South needs for his forcing jump shift. And North’s raise is a matter of simple arithmetic.

At rubber bridge the hand would be over in seconds. Declarer wins in dummy, takes the diamond finesse and quickly concedes a trick to the king. That gives South two spade tricks, three hearts, four diamonds and three clubs —12 in all.

The overtrick is an important consideration at duplicate. If either the king of diamonds can be picked up, or the clubs run, 13 tricks are there. Since at least three diamonds tricks will be needed, start by running the queen of diamonds at trick two and then repeat the finesse.

The nine wins but, if you continue with the ace you have to make an uncomfortable discard from the table. So next on the agenda is to test the clubs. When West discards on the second, a cold slam is suddenly in jeopardy. However, it is not the time to panic.

After clearing the table’s remaining heart honor, East following, lead a spade to the ten. That loses to West, who returns a heart on which East discards a club. Although West fails to follow when you cash the ace of diamonds, the count of the hand is complete.

East is known to have started with five clubs, four diamonds and two hearts, hence only two spades. Now cash the king of spades and the proven finesse of dummy’s nine produces a pretty piece of symmetry as you collect three tricks in each suit.

2011 Tribune Media Services