BRIDGE

BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable, South deals.

NORTH

xA 2

u7 6 2

vA 7 2

wK J 5 3 2

WEST EAST

xQ J 10 6 4 x9 8 5

uK 8 5 4 3 uQ 9

vJ 9 vQ 10 6 4

w9 wQ 10 7 6

SOUTH

xK 7 3

uA J 10

vK 8 5 3

wA 8 4

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1NT Pass 3NT Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Queen of x

You are playing rubber bridge against strong opponents for stakes that command your full attention. How would you play three no trump on the queen of spades lead? You have seven top tricks and the club suit is the only place where you might find two more.

The important thing to realize is that you only need four club tricks, not five. There is no problem if the clubs split 3-2 and there is no chance if the clubs split 5-0. What can you do against the possible 4-1 splits? The technical play is to cash the king of clubs, then lead a club to the ace followed by another club. You’ll be home free if the clubs split 3-2 or if West has any four clubs.

What if West plays the nine or ten under the king? Your eight-spot now comes into play. You lead a low club toward your ace-eight and insert the eight if East plays low. Should West win this trick, clubs were 3-2 all along and you have nine tricks. Should the eight hold the trick, as it would in today’s deal, you cash the ace, cross back to dummy and concede a club to East. Again you have nine tricks.

There is one troubling thought. You will need two side entries to dummy to pull this off -- one to concede a club to East and another to get back for the long club. Anticipating this, of course, you carefully won the opening spade lead in your hand with the king. You did, didn’t you?

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