BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Both vulnerable. East deals.

NORTH

xJ 7

u9 8 4

v7 3

wA K 10 7 6 2

WEST EAST

x10 6 xK 5

u5 uK J 10 6 3 2

vA Q 10 9 8 5 v6 4

w9 8 4 3 wQ J 5

SOUTH

xA Q 9 8 4 3 2

uA Q 7

vK J 2

wVoid

The bidding:

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

2u 4x All pass

Opening lead: Five of u

The opening heart lead went to the nine, ten, and queen. Declarer had plenty of tricks, but lacked the entries to take them. Thinking that life would be wonderful should West be kind enough to hold the king of trumps, South led a low spade at trick two to dummy’s jack, but East won with the king. East continued with the king of hearts, covered by the ace and ruffed by West. Sadly for West, he had no safe exit. The seven of spades was now an entry to dummy and the contract was safe.

The defense could have done better. South’s curious play of a low trump to the jack should have set off an alarm. With a heart ruff threatening, why hadn’t declarer cashed the ace of trumps first? Or crossed to dummy in clubs and taken the trump finesse? Declarer’s club void should start to become evident. West could have defeated the contract by not ruffing the heart. Declarer could not have avoided losing two diamonds and a heart later in the play. A diamond shift from East would also defeat the contract, as long as West played his remaining trump rather than continuing diamonds.

Maybe the defense should never have had this problem to solve. When West didn’t rise with the king of spades at trick two, South might have judged that he didn’t have it. Had declarer inserted dummy’s seven on this trick, there would have been nothing the defense could do.

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