bridge

bridge

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

x10 9 7

uJ 10 7 6 3

v6 2

wQ J 3

WEST EAST

x8 6 3 x2

u8 2 u9 5 4

vK J 8 5 v10 7 3

wK 10 6 5 wA 9 8 7 4 2

SOUTH

xA K Q J 5 4

uA K Q

vA Q 9 4

wVoid

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

2w Pass 2v Pass

2x Pass 3w Pass

3v Pass 4x Pass

6x Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Three of x

Even looking at all four hands, the winning line is not easy to spot. See if you can make six spades after a low spade lead.

Two clubs was an artificial game force, two diamonds was a waiting bid and two spades was natural. Three clubs was a second negative and North decided that a doubleton in South’s second suit and reasonable three-card support for South’s major merited a jump to game. Wild horses could not have kept South out of slam.

It might seem that the best chance to bring home the slam is to draw a second trump and then unblock the hearts. However, West would ruff the third heart and, although declarer could get to dummy with the ten of trumps to discard two diamonds on the good hearts and try the diamond finesse, that fails — down one.

Declarer found a pretty way to ensure the contract as long as trumps divided no worse than 3-1 and hearts 3-2. After winning the opening lead in dummy, declarer led the queen of clubs from the table and discarded the queen of hearts from hand! No matter how the defense continued, as the cards lie declarer was in control.

East wisely ducked the club. West won and reverted to a trump. Declarer won in hand, cashed the ace and king of hearts and then crossed to the ten of spades to take three diamond discards on the hearts! Declarer lost only a club trick!

2011 Tribune Media Services