bridge

bridge

East-West vulnerable. North deals.

NORTH

xJ 10 7 2

uA

v7 3 2

wA K 10 9 8

WEST EAST

xVoid xA 9 8 6

u9 4 2 uK Q J 8 3

vA Q J 8 5 4 vK 6

wJ 7 4 3 wQ 5

SOUTH

xK Q 5 4 3

u10 7 6 5

v10 9

w6 2

The bidding:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1w Dbl 1x 2v

3x Dbl 4x Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Ace of v

High cards are the currency of bridge, and most of us tend to hold on fiercely to our assets — that is understandable, but not necessarily winning technique at the bridge table.

The auction is not without interest. North’s competitive jump to three spades announced a distributional raise rather than a normal jump based on some 16 high-card points — with that hand North would have cue-bid three diamonds to show a power raise. East’s second double was not for penalties — it showed that his first takeout double was made with better than minimum values. South’s decision to bid game in spades was a two-way action — it denied defensive values and it could be a makeable contract.

West led the ace of diamonds. Had East followed routinely with the six, he would have won the second diamond perforce, and now declarer might have made the contract by playing along cross-ruff lines, depending upon East’s play to the third trick. East was aware of this possibility and found a spectacular counter by jettisoning his king of diamonds under the ace!

West continued with the queen and jack of diamonds. Declarer was forced to ruff this trick as East dumped a club. It seems that declarer might recover by leading a trump to the knave, but East can refuse to win this trick. Declarer can cash one high club, felling the queen, and revert to trumps, but East holds up the ace one more round, wins the third spade and exits a spade. Although declarer can win in hand and take the club finesse, there are no more trumps in the game and declarer can win no more than eight tricks. Try it.

2011 Tribune Media Services