Friday, October 21, 2016
BRIDGE
Both vulnerable, North deals.
NORTH
xQ 3
u5 4
vA K 5 4 2
wK 7 6 4
WEST EAST
xK 10 7 4 xJ 8 6 5 2
uA 10 9 2 uK Q 8 3
v3 v8 6
wQ 9 5 2 w10 8
SOUTH
xA 9
uJ 7 6
vQ J 10 9 7
wA J 3
The bidding:
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST
1v Pass 2v- Pass
3w Pass 3NT All pass
-Inverted, forcing with at least invitational values
Opening lead: 10 of u
East won the opening heart lead with the queen, and then continued with the king and another heart. The defense took the first four tricks in hearts, with declarer discarding a low spade from his hand and two low diamonds from dummy. West exited safely with his singleton diamond. South started to cash his diamond tricks and this was the position with one diamond left:
NORTH
xQ 3
uVoid
vVoid
wK 7 6
WEST EAST
xK 10 xJ 8 5
uVoid uVoid
vVoid vVoid
wQ 9 2 w10 8
SOUTH
xA
uVoid
v10
wA J 3
South cashed the ace of spades, followed by the 10 of diamonds. West discarded a low club on the diamond and declarer stopped to think. One of the defenders had to have five or more spades, and as West chose to lead a heart rather than a spade, South reasoned that it was East who held five spades. Had East started with five spades to the king and king-queen-fourth of hearts, he would probably have bid over the one-diamond opening. This led South to place West with the king of spades. Should all this reasoning be accurate, the clubs were now surely lying 2-2, so South led a club to the king and a club back to his ace, felling the queen and landing his contract. Good thinking!
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