bridge

bridge

East-West vulnerable. East deals.

NORTH

xK 4 3

uJ 8 7 3 2

v10 9 6 3 2

wVoid

WEST EAST

x8 7 xQ 10 5

uA 9 5 u10 4

vQ J 8 7 4 vA

wA 10 5 wK J 9 8 7 6 4

SOUTH

xA J 9 6 2

uK Q 6

vK 5

wQ 3 2

The bidding:

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

1w 1x 2v 4x

Pass Pass Dbl Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Queen of v

This deal is from the 1966 Vanderbilt Team Championship. North-South at this table were Bill Eisenberg and Len Harmon, facing Bob Hamman and Sammy Kehela.

Eisenberg’s bold four-spade pre-empt, doubled by Hamman, stole the contract.

After the lead of a diamond to the ace, a heart to the ace and a diamond ruff, declarer could claim 10 tricks.

In the other room, Phil Feldesman-Ira Rubin were North-South against Ivan Erdos-Tobias Stone.

Stone opened three clubs and bought the hand at five clubs, a contract that could not be defeated.

Indeed, declarer could score an overtrick by guessing the trump position and playing to ruff out the doubleton king of diamonds.

Feldesman, Rubin, Murray, Kehela, Hamman and Mathe went on to represent the U.S. in the 1966 Bermuda Bowl contest, symbol of world bridge supremacy, losing to the renowned Italian Blue Team in the final.

2012 Tribune Media Services