BRIDGE

BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable, West deals

NORTH

xVoid

u10 8 5 4

vK J 9 7 4

wK J 6 2

WEST EAST

xK 8 3 xJ 10 9 7 4 2

u2 uA K 3

vA Q 10 6 3 v8 5

wA Q 10 7 w5 3

SOUTH

xA Q 6 5

uQ J 9 7 6

v2

w9 8 4

The bidding:

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

1v Pass 1x 2u

3w 3x- Dbl 4u

4x 5u Dbl All pass

-Good heart raise

Opening lead: Three of x

We’ve all heard about players who ”went to bed with the ace of trumps,” but today’s deal is truly special. It comes to us from Norway, reportedly played on New Year’s Eve at the turn of the century. All four players appear to have gotten a head start on their New Year’s Eve celebrations. Decisions by all four are easy to second-guess, but everything is OK at a party.

The opening spade lead went to the nine and queen, and declarer led his diamond at trick two. West went up with his ace and surely should have shifted to a trump, but he continued with another diamond. It was possible that his partner could ruff this second diamond. Dummy’s jack of diamonds held this trick as declarer discarded a club. The king of diamonds was next, with both East and South shedding clubs. East could not ruff this to his advantage.

Declarer crossed to his hand with a diamond ruff and led his remaining club, losing to West’s ace. East must have felt pretty good about things as he still held two trump tricks. West still wouldn’t lead his trump, leading a club instead. Dummy’s jack was ruffed low by East and overruffed by South.

At this point, declarer cashed the ace of spades and ruffed a spade in dummy. East must have been ordering another cocktail as he overruffed this spade and then led a spade. Oops! This revoke called for a two-trick penalty under the rules in force at that time. East never took a trick with either the ace or the king of trumps!

Tribune Content Agency