BRIDGE

BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable, South deals

NORTH

x7 4 2

uJ 3 2

v6 5

wK 10 8 6 2

WEST EAST

xK Q J 9 8 3 xA

uQ 8 4 u10 7 6 5

v8 4 vK Q J 9 2

wJ 3 wQ 9 4

SOUTH

x10 6 5

uA K 9

vA 10 7 3

wA 7 5

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1NT Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: King of x

Once again Esther had sweet-talked Fred into a game at the local duplicate. Fred had been helping her with her card play and Esther was determined to show Fred how much she had improved. Esther, sitting West, didn’t want to risk an overcall at this vulnerability, and Fred wasn’t sure how Esther would interpret a two-diamond bid by him. He wasn’t willing to risk it, so they ended up defending one no trump while many in the field were bidding and making two spades.

Esther led her king of spades and was happy to see Fred produce the ace. She was expecting to take the first six tricks, but Fred, for some reason, switched to the king of diamonds. She kept her composure, remembering that Fred usually knew what he was doing. South won with the ace of diamonds and realized that his only hope was to bring in the club suit for four tricks. Declarer led a low club, intending to play dummy’s 10 to duck a club into Fred. Esther promptly followed suit with the jack! South couldn’t duck now or the defense would cash all their spades plus a couple of diamonds. He rose with dummy’s king and led a diamond. Fred won with the jack and shifted to a low heart. South won with the ace and cashed the ace of clubs, hoping the queen would fall, and conceded down two when it didn’t

”Lovely play, Esther,” said South. ”I would have made it if you had played your low club.” ”Credit to Fred,” said Esther. ”I was just playing high-low with a doubleton like Fred taught me.”

Tribune Content Agency