BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

x10 7 3

u9 3

vA 7 5 2

wA K 5 2

WEST EAST

xK Q J 8 4 2 x9 5

u8 6 4 u10 7 5 2

vK J 9 4 v10 8 6

wVoid wQ J 4 3

SOUTH

xA 6

uA K Q J

vQ 3

w10 9 8 7 6

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1w 1x 2x Pass

3NT Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: King of x

You deserve to be punished for entering the auction simply for the sake of being heard. Being penalized is more difficult to take when a perfectly normal action draws a blueprint of the hand for declarer.

North’s cue-bid showed a limit raise or better in clubs. With 16 high-card points and a stopper in the enemy suit, three no trump seemed to South like a playable spot.

West led the king of spades. Declarer held up the ace but won the continuation of the queen perforce. A simple contract developed major complications when declarer now led the ten of clubs and West showed out, signaling with an encouraging nine of diamonds.

On careful reflection, however, declarer decided that the contract could still be made as long as West held the jack of spades. The early play and West’s vulnerable overcall marked West with the king of diamonds, and that card would be the defenders’ downfall.

Declarer rose with the table’s ace of clubs and then cashed out four rounds of hearts. West was able to discard another diamond in comfort but, when declarer next cashed the king of clubs, West was a dead duck.

If the defender bared the king of diamonds, the ace of diamonds would pick up the monarch and the queen would be the fulfilling trick. A spade would be no better. That would reduce West to three spades and the king and another diamond. South would continue by throwing West on lead with a spade and, after cashing his spade tricks, the defender would have to lead away from the king of diamonds into declarer’s combined A Q tenace.

Would you have overcalled one spade? Switch the North and East hands and four spades is an easy game!

2012 Tribune Media Services