bridge

bridge

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

x7 3 2

uJ 9 8

v8 6 5 4 2

w10 7

WEST EAST

xQ 9 xJ 10 8 6 5

u7 6 2 u4

vK 10 7 3 vJ 9

wQ 9 6 3 wA K J 5 2

SOUTH

xA K 4

uA K Q 10 5 3

vA Q

w8 4

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

2w Pass 2v Pass

2u Pass 3w Pass

4u Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Three of w

South struck gold on this deal from a pair tournament. He could not have found a more suitable dummy if he selected the cards. Unfortunately, a card that he held distracted him from the task at hand.

The defenders started with winning two club tricks, and East shifted to a spade and won in the closed hand. Dummy was entered with a trump to the eight and declarer took a losing diamond finesse. West continued with a spade to the king.

Declarer cashed the ace of diamonds, re-entered dummy with a trump and ruffed a diamond high. When the suit did not break, the contract failed by a trick.

Had declarer not been tempted by the diamond finesse, the game could have been brought home. After winning the third trick, declarer should cash the ace of diamonds and continue with the queen. West wins and perseveres with spades. Declarer wins with the king, crosses to dummy with a trump and ruffs a diamond high, returns to the table with a trump and ruffs another diamond high, setting up a long card in the suit. A heart to the jack is the entry to the board, and in the process, West’s remaining trump is extracted. Declarer can now discard his spade loser on the long diamond and claim his contract.

2012 Tribune Media Services