BRIDGE

BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable, East deals

NORTH

xQ 10 7

u10 9 5

vQ J 4

wA K 9 2

WEST EAST

x5 4 2 x9 8 6

uQ 8 7 uK J 6 4 2

v8 7 3 vA K 10

w8 7 6 4 wQ 3

SOUTH

xA K J 3

uA 3

v9 6 5 2

wJ 10 5

The bidding:

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

1u Dbl Pass 2u

Pass 2x Pass 3w

Pass 3NT All pass

Opening lead: Seven of u

The standard response structure to a takeout double is simple -- bid your best suit with zero to eight points, jump in your best suit with nine to eleven points, and jump to game with 12 or more points. Should you not know which game to bid, start with a cue bid of the opponent’s suit. The cue bid sets up a game force and allows the partnership to bid slowly to their best contract.

South allowed East’s jack of hearts to hold the first trick. East continued with a low heart to South’s ace. South counted his winners and was disappointed to find that the total was only seven. It looked like South was going to need a successful club finesse to get home, but South had his ”thinking cap” on.

The opening lead and the continuation made it seem a certainty that West started with three hearts to an honor -- either the queen or the king. Should West also hold the queen of clubs, that would mean that East had opened the bidding on only 10 or 11 points. That was possible, but at this vulnerability it was not likely. Declarer backed his judgment with his play and banged down the ace and king of clubs. Great was the fall thereon, as the late Edgar Kaplan was fond of saying.

South was happy to claim nine tricks -- four spades, one heart, and four clubs. Well done!

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