bridge

bridge

Neither vulnerable. East deals.

NORTH

x5 3

uJ 2

vA J 10 9 4

wA Q 9 5

WEST EAST

x9 8 7 6 xA J 10 4

u8 4 3 uA Q 10 9

v8 7 3 vQ 6 5

wJ 8 6 w10 4

SOUTH

xK Q 2

uK 7 6 5

vK 2

wK 7 3 2

The bidding:

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

1v Dbl Pass Pass

Rdbl Pass 1x Pass

Pass 1NT Pass 3NT

Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Nine of x

Here’s another hand from Eddie Kantar’s ”Thinking Bridge” series, designed for players eager to improve their game.

”As East, after North’s penalty pass of South’s takeout double indicating diamonds from here to China, your redouble is for rescue. Partner must bid something, and you hope it will be at the one-level. As West, bid one spade in something resembling a normal tone of voice. North’s pass after the one-spade bid is forcing. You try one no trump to describe a minimum double with spades stopped. North raises to three no trump, a sensible action.

”As West, you can infer from East’s SOS redouble that he has support for the unbid suits, so lead a spade, the nine, to be exact.

”As East, you can read the lead as top card, meaning that South has the king and queen. Your best bet is to win with the ace and lead the ace and queen of hearts (or the queen originally), establishing the setting tricks in hearts once the king is driven out — if you can just get in again, hopefully with the queen of diamonds.

”After winning with the king of hearts (if East plays the ace and queen, win the third heart) you can see 26 high-card points between your hand and dummy, leaving East-West with 14. East, the opening bidder, is a favorite to be looking at the queen of diamonds. Accordingly, cross to a club honor and run the jack of diamonds, an honor that East should not cover please! As it happens East has the expected queen of diamonds, diamonds break 3-2 and you have the rest of the tricks. Had West the queen of diamonds, winning the third heart prevents West from leading a heart.”

2011 Tribune Media Services