BRIDGE

BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable, East deals.

NORTH

x10

uA 9 7 5

v10 8 7 3

w10 4 3 2

WEST EAST

xK Q 8 6 xA J 9 7 5 4

uK Q 10 8 4 3 uJ 6 2

vQ J vK 6 2

wK w6

SOUTH

x3 2

uVoid

vA 9 5 4

wA Q J 9 8 7 5

The bidding:

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

2x 5w Dbl Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: King of x

Today’s deal is from an important European tournament some years ago. The given auction was repeated at many tables. West might have bid on to five spades, but he reasoned that partner was unlikely to hold two aces for his pre-empt and therefore there was no chance of taking 11 tricks. West doubled instead, feeling that his wealth of high cards would enable him to defeat the contract.

The king of spades lead held the trick and West had to decide what to do next. The king of hearts seems like the normal shift, but it proved to be fatal to the defense. Declarer ruffed in hand, cashed the ace of clubs, drawing trumps, and ruffed his remaining spade in the dummy. South cashed the ace of hearts, shedding a diamond from his hand, and ruffed another heart. A club was led to dummy’s 10 and the last heart was ruffed.

The major suits had now been eliminated from both hands. South cashed the ace of diamonds and led another diamond. This put West on play and forced him to yield a ruff-sluff. Declarer ruffed on the table and discarded his last diamond to bring home his contract.

Only one West player, Michel Perron of France, avoided this trap. Perron continued spades at trick two and declarer did not have the entries to fully eliminate the hearts. Nice shift!

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