bridge

bridge

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xK J 8 3

uA J 7 5 3

v8

w9 5 4

WEST EAST

x10 6 4 x7 5

u10 8 uK Q 9 4 2

vK J 10 7 3 vQ 2

wK Q 10 wJ 8 6 2

SOUTH

xA Q 9 2

u6

vA 9 6 5 4

wA 7 3

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1v Pass 1u Pass

1x Pass 3x Pass

4x Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: King of w

The power of the trump suit cannot be emphasized too strongly. It was put to full use on this hand from a rubber bridge game.

The auction was textbook. North’s jump to three spades was a limit raise, and South held ample to justify a raise to game.

West led the king of clubs and there were only seven fast winners. Since chances of setting up extra tricks in the red suits were slight, declarer elected to play the hand as a crossruff. South’s technique is worth studying.

Declarer won the opening lead in hand and cashed the two red aces, ending in hand. A diamond was ruffed with the three of trumps, and a heart was ruffed with the deuce. When both low ruffs won, the contract could no longer be defeated.

Declarer continued with a high crossruff, ruffing two diamonds in dummy with the king and jack and two hearts in hand with the ace and queen. That gave declarer nine tricks — three side-suit aces and six ruffs, three in each hand. Although the master trump, the ten, was with the defenders, the eight in dummy and the nine in hand were sure to produce one more trick. Declarer led a diamond from hand and ruffed with the eight. If it held, it was the fulfilling trick; if it was overruffed, the nine would be declarer’s 10th trick.

Could the contract have been defeated? No. A trump lead is best, but South can win cheaply in hand and still score three ruffs in each hand, collecting in all seven trumps and the three side-suit aces.

2012 Tribune Media Services