bridge

bridge

Both vulnerable. East deals.

NORTH

xK 2

uA Q 7 6

vA 6 5 2

wQ 10 3

WEST EAST

xQ 10 8 3 x9

uJ 10 3 uK 5

vK 9 3 v10 8 4

wK 7 5 wA J 9 8 6 4 2

SOUTH

xA J 7 6 5 4

u9 8 4 2

vQ J 7

wVoid

The bidding:

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

4w 4x Pass Pass

Pass

Opening lead: Five of w

Had East-West not known their opponents were paragons of virtue, both North and South might have been brought before the club’s card committee — North for the bidding and South for the play of this deal from a rubber bridge game at New York’s Regency Whist Club some years ago.

Concerned that North, Paul Trent, might be fixed by the pre-empt because of spade shortness, South, Amos Kaminsky, elected to overcall four spades. After much thought, and aware that his partner was bidding under pressure, North elected not to make a slam try.

West led a low club and declarer ruffed East’s eight. A trump to the king, which fetched a telling nine from East, was followed by another club ruff and a heart to the ace permitted declarer to trump dummy’s remaining club. The jack of diamonds was run as East followed low, and declarer next made a key play — a low heart, covered by the ten and ducked in dummy!

In with the king of hearts, East could not afford to play another club since declarer would discard a diamond and ruff in dummy, so East returned a diamond. Declarer won with the ace and exited with a diamond to the queen and West’s king. The heart jack was taken with dummy’s queen, and another heart was led. West could ruff with a low trump, but then had to return a trump into declarer’s ace-jack tenace, allowing South to score the last two tricks and wrap up the contract!

2012 Tribune Media Services