BRIDGE

BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable, South deals.

NORTH

xJ 8 5 2

u6 3

vA 10 6 2

wK 8 3

WEST EAST

xQ 10 7 x3

uJ 4 uQ 9 7 5 2

vK Q J 9 3 v8 7 4

wJ 4 2 wA Q 10 6

SOUTH

xA K 9 6 4

uA K 10 8

v5

w9 7 5

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1x Pass 2x Pass

3u Pass 4x All pass

Opening lead: King of v

Aggressive bidding got South to a good game contract. No problem if the trumps split 2-2, and South could survive a trump loser if the ace of clubs was onside. Thinking like an expert, South gave some thought to what he might be able to do should he have a trump loser and the ace of clubs was offside.

The jack of clubs lead would have scuttled the contract immediately, but who would lead a club holding that lovely diamond sequence. Declarer won the opening lead with the ace and immediately ruffed a diamond -- an important play. He cashed the ace and king of trumps and got the bad news. The ace and king of hearts came next, followed by a third heart. Had West ruffed in, South would have shed a club from dummy and later ruffed a club, so West correctly discarded a diamond as South ruffed in dummy.

South ruffed another diamond and led his last heart. West again couldn’t ruff, and he couldn’t afford to discard his last diamond, as that would make dummy’s 10 good for a club discard. West shed a club, dummy ruffed, and South was able to ruff yet another diamond for his tenth trick -- five trumps in his own hand, two ruffs in dummy, plus the ace-king of hearts and the ace of diamonds. Note that the contract would have failed had South not ruffed a diamond at trick two.

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