BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Both vulnerable, North deals

NORTH

xA 2

uJ 10 3

vA K 7 2

wA Q 9 2

WEST EAST

xJ 7 x9 8 6 4

u9 8 6 5 uK Q 7

v8 5 4 3 vJ 10

w8 6 3 wK J 5 4

SOUTH

xK Q 10 5 3

uA 4 2

vQ 9 6

w10 7

The bidding:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1vPass 1x Pass

2NT Pass 3w Pass

4w Pass 4u Pass

4x Pass 5u Pass

6w Dbl 6x All pass

Opening lead: Six of clubs

North in today’s deal was Paul Marston, a native New Zealander, who moved to Australia long ago and has been one of Australia’s leading players for over three decades. South was a former American professional who these days just writes a bridge column.

South intended his three-club bid as ”checkback,” looking for three-card spade support. Sadly for him, that bid was treated as natural in Australia at that time and North raised! North happily cue bid his way to six clubs, but South didn’t need East’s double to know that six clubs would be an unplayable contract. He ”corrected” to six spades with his fingers crossed, and now had to try to take 12 tricks.

South ducked the opening club lead to East’s jack and won the king of hearts shift with the ace. He cashed four rounds of spades, discarding hearts from the dummy, before leading a club to the ace and ruffing out East’s king. This was the position:

NORTH

xVoid

uVoid

vA K 7 2

w9

WEST EAST

xVoid xVoid

u9 uQ 7

v8 5 4 3 vJ 10

wVoid w5

SOUTH

xVoid

u4 2

vQ 9 6

wVoid

South probably needed a 3-3 diamond split, but he catered to a possible miracle by leading the nine of diamonds to the ace and a diamond back to his queen, noting the jack and 10 from East. A tricky East might have been hiding the eight, but South led a diamond to dummy’s seven to land his slam. Not bad!

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