BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Both vulnerable, South deals.

NORTH

x10 9 8 7 5

uK J

vQ J 9

wK J 10

WEST EAST

x6 xQ J 3

u3 uA 10 9 7 5 4 2

v8 7 6 5 3 vA 4

w9 8 7 6 5 2 wQ

SOUTH

xA K 4 2

uQ 8 6

vK 10 2

wA 4 3

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1NT Pass 2w 2u

2x Pass 4x All pass

Opening lead: Three of u

Nicola Smith has been a mainstay on the British women’s team for over three decades. She was East in today’s deal. North’s choice of bidding Stayman rather than transferring into spades is easy to understand. All of her high cards in her short suits might well make nine tricks easier than 10 with only an eight-card spade fit. Discovering a nine-card spade fit tilted the scales the other way.

Smith won the opening heart lead with the ace and knew that she could give her partner a heart ruff -- but what next. She could play back a suit preference 10 of hearts to get a diamond back from partner after the ruff, but that would put her in a dangerous spot. Another diamond would expose her trump holding when West couldn’t ruff high enough to beat the dummy. A club lead instead would be suspicious and declarer might work out the reason for the strange defense.

Smith found an elegant defense to give the defense a chance. She cashed the ace of diamonds before returning a heart! West ruffed and returned a diamond. Declarer breathed a sigh of relief when Smith was not able to ruff this. The sigh of relief turned into a groan of despair when South cashed the ace of spades and learned she had a spade loser and could no longer make her contract. A thoughtful defense from a very fine player.

2016 Tribune Content Agency