BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Neither vulnerable, South deals

NORTH

xQ J

uA K Q J 10 4

v10 6

wJ 6 3

WEST EAST

xVoid xA 10 8

u8 6 u9 7 5 3 2

vA K J 9 8 7 2 v5

w10 7 5 2 wQ 9 8 4

SOUTH

xK 9 7 6 5 4 3 2

uVoid

vQ 4 3

wA K

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1x 3v 3u Pass

3x Pass 4x All pass

Opening lead: Ace of v

This was a routine auction to a routine final contract. West continued with a second high diamond at trick two and paused to consider the rest of the defense. A heart shift seemed foolish with those massive hearts in dummy. A club shift was possible but West decided that the best chance for the defense was a third round of diamonds.

South ruffed with dummy’s queen. East overruffed with the ace and shifted to a club, but declarer was in full control. South won with his ace of clubs and crossed to dummy with the jack of trumps. Showing some flair, South led dummy’s ace of hearts and ruffed it. He cashed the king of spades, drawing the last trump, and claimed with good trumps and the king of clubs.

When West became aware of his partner’s trump holding, he was disappointed, though he tried his best to keep calm and be a good partner. West had put some thought into the defense at trick three and had found the only play to defeat the contract when he led a third round of diamonds. Had East refused to overruff, his 10 of spades would have become the setting trick later in the play.

A defender should always think twice before ruffing with a sure trump trick. That card will still win a trick later, so there had better be a good reason to use it up by ruffing. East was asleep on this deal. Refusing to overruff should have been an easy play to see.

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