bridge

bridge

East-West vulnerable. North deals.

NORTH

x9 8 5

uA Q 4 3

v5

wA J 7 4 2

WEST EAST

xQ J 10 6 2 xK 4 3

uK J 9 6 2 u10 7

v10 vJ 9 6 3

w10 8 wQ 9 5 3

SOUTH

xA 7

u8 5

vA K Q 8 7 4 2

wK 6

The bidding:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1w Pass 2v Pass

2u Pass 3v Pass

3x Pass 6v Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead Queen of x

When this deal cropped up in the European Championship some years ago, only one declarer brought home this slam. You decide whether South adopted the best line.

By any standard North has an opening bid. The hand contains two and a half defensive tricks a distributional count of 13 and is suitable for play in three suits. After South described a powerful hand with a self-sufficient diamond suit, North attempted to wriggle into three no trump. Since three spades denied a spade stopper (North would have bid three no trump with a high card in the suit), South elected to take a shot at six diamonds, choosing not to look for a grand slam because of North’s marked diamond shortness.

The opening lead was won in the closed hand and two top trumps revealed there was a trump loser. For the slam to succeed, South would have to dispose of the spade and avoid losing a heart trick. Finesses in both hearts and clubs beckoned. Which should South take?

Seven declarers drew a third trump, cashed the king of clubs and then finessed the jack. Down two! The successful declarer reasoned that, even if the club finesse won. East might ruff the ace of clubs as the losing spade was discarded, forcing declarer to take the heart finesse as well. But if the heart finesse was destined to succeed, the club finesse was superfluous — little more than a 4-2 split would bring home the slam.

Suiting the deed to the thought, South cashed the remaining high trump and the king and ace of clubs and then ruffed a club. When West discarded a heart, declarer successfully finessed the queen of hearts, ruffed another club to set up the 13th card in the suit, then returned to dummy with the ace of hearts and discarded the spade loser on the long club. The defenders collected only one trump trick.

Well played!

2011 Tribune Media Services