BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Rubber bridge, North-South vulnerable with a 60 point partscore. South deals.

NORTH

x10 4 2

u8 5

vQ J 6 4 2

wQ 10 5

WEST EAST

xK 8 7 3 xA J 9 6

uQ 10 3 2 u7 6 4

vA K 5 v10 9 3

w6 2 wK 7 4

SOUTH

xQ 5

uA K J 9

v8 7

wA J 9 8 3

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1NT All pass

Opening lead: Two of u

South might have opened the bidding with one club, but he only needed 40 points to close out the rubber. He was hoping to shut out any competition and steal those 40 points.

West made an unlucky, although very reasonable, opening lead. South won the first trick with the nine of hearts. There was not much for him to do, so he cashed the ace of clubs hoping to see the singleton king fall. When it didn’t, he continued with a club to dummy’s queen and East’s king. East shifted smartly to the jack of spades. Nothing mattered should declarer hold the king of spades, or the king-queen of spades, but the jack would allow the defense to run the whole suit if declarer had just two or three spades to the queen.

South covered the jack with the queen, losing to West’s king. West returned a spade to dummy’s 10 and East’s ace. Thinking that West might need one or two heart leads from him to set up heart tricks, East shifted to the seven of hearts. A grateful declarer rose with the ace of hearts and claimed seven tricks and the rubber. What went wrong and who was to blame -- West or East?

West cannot be faulted for his opening lead but he can be faulted for not cashing the king of diamonds before returning a spade. East would have easily seen where seven defensive tricks were coming from, and he would never have led a heart.

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