bridge

bridge

East-West vulnerable. North deals.

NORTH

xA 10 2

u4

v9 5 4

wQ J 7 4 3 2

WEST EAST

xQ 9 8 3 xK 7 6 5

uA 2 u9 3

vK 7 6 vQ 10 8 2

wA 9 6 5 wK 10 8

SOUTH

xJ 4

uK Q J 10 8 7 6 5

vA J 3

wVoid

The bidding:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

Pass Pass 4u Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Three of x

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

Facing a passed partner, South does best to open with four hearts. Opening four-bids give the opponents fits. West has enough to double one heart, even a weak two hearts, but with a doubleton heart needs the strength of a strong notrump opening to double three hearts or four hearts, since both are takeout doubles. With a singleton heart, West can double both with as few as 14+ points.

With no clear-cut lead, West starts with his fourth-best spade. Dummy plays low and East wins the king. Assuming East decides to attack diamonds, a reasonable shift, the ten of diamonds is the correct card to lead to make what is called a ”surrounding play.”

East has the diamond nine surrounded with the ten-eight along with a higher nonequal honor, the queen — all the ingredients for a surrounding play. If East leads the ten of diamonds, declarer is held to one diamond trick. If a low diamond is led, declarer plays low, West wins the king and South remains with the ace-jack, now worth two tricks.

This deal is decided by South’s play at trick one! South knows from the play of the king that West holds the queen, so if he unblocks the knave, he can later lead a low spade to the ten and discard a losing diamond on the ace of spades!

For information on ”Thinking Bridge and other Kantar writings, go to www.kantabridge.com.

2012 Tribune Media Services