bridge

bridge

Neither vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xK Q 9 2

u7 4 2

vQ 7 5

wK 6 3

WEST EAST

x8 6 x7 3

uA Q 10 6 3 uJ 9 8

vK 9 8 vJ 4 2

wA J 9 w10 8 5 4 2

SOUTH

xA J 10 5 4

uK 5

vA 10 6 3

wQ 7

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1x 2u 2x Pass

3v Pass 4x Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Eight of x

How would you like to play with glass cards, so that you can see where every card is located? It might take most of the challenge out of the game. Yet listening to the auction can often place every important card for you.

With an aceless 10 points and no ruffing value, the North hand was worth no more than a free raise to two spades, albeit a maximum. Despite the fact that the king of hearts might not be a working card, South chose to invite game with a help-suit try in diamonds, and North was quick to accept.

West led a trump and, since the two-level overcall had marked West with every key high card, South made short shrift of the hand. Declarer won the spade in hand and immediately led a diamond. Since ducking would result in later being thrown on lead with the king and having to make a losing exit, West shot up with his majesty and reverted to a trump. Declarer again won in hand and continued to put pressure on West by leading the seven of clubs toward dummy’s king.

West could not rise with the ace — that would give declarer two club tricks, permitting declarer to discard a losing heart and limiting declarer’s losers to one trick in each plain suit. When West played low and the king won, declarer cashed the table’s queen of diamonds and continued with a diamond to the ace. When the suit broke evenly, declarer was able to discard a club from dummy on the 13th diamond.

South completed West’s dismay by exiting with the queen of clubs, forcing the defender to win with the ace. Faced with losing options — a club would concede a ruff-sluff and a heart would make the king the fulfilling trick — West did the gallant thing and conceded the game.

2011 Tribune Media Services