BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Both vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

x6 5

uJ 3 2

vA 4 3

wQ 9 8 7 4

WEST EAST

xK 3 x8 2

uK 8 6 u10 9 7 5 4

vQ J 9 2 v10 8 5

wK 10 5 2 wA J 6

SOUTH

xA Q J 10 9 7 4

uA Q

vK 7 6

w3

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1x Pass 1NT Pass

4x Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Queen of v

“Waste not, want not” holds true as much at the bridge table as in life. Playing at four spades, declarer went for an even-money chance rather than a sure thing, and paid the price.

The auction was soon over. North’s one-no-trump response was textbook and for South to bid anything less than four spades would have been pusillanimous.

West led the queen of diamonds and South decided to hope for one of two possibilities — the king of spades singleton with either defender, or the king of hearts with East. Declarer rose with dummy’s ace of diamonds on the opening lead and led a heart to the queen and king.

West shifted to a club to East’s knave and, when the king of spades did not drop under the ace, declarer had to lose a trump and a diamond in addition to the two tricks already conceded — down one.

Have you spotted the resource declarer wasted? Go to the head of the class if you selected dummy’s jack of hearts!

South should win the first trick in hand with the king, cash the major-suit aces and then lead the queen of hearts, losing to West’s king. No matter how the defenders proceed, on winning a trick with the ace of diamonds declarer cashes the jack of hearts, discarding a minor-suit loser from hand. Declarer reels in six spade tricks, two hearts and two diamonds to land the game.

2013 Tribune Media Services