BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Both vulnerable, South deals

NORTH

xJ 3

uA Q 5 4

vA 10 9 6

wJ 9 2

WEST EAST

xK 10 5 x9 8 4 2

uK 10 9 6 2 uVoid

v5 4 3 vQ J 8 7

w8 6 wA 7 5 4 3

SOUTH

xA Q 7 6

uJ 8 7 3

vK 2

wK Q 10

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1NT Pass 2w Dbl

2u Pass 4u Pass

Pass Dbl Pass Pass

4NT All pass

Opening lead: Eight of w

Under the laws of bridge, all doubles are penalty doubles until someone else decides to bid something. Three passes after the double and the auction is over. A player who makes a ”lead-directing double,” as East did here, must be able to defeat that contract should the opponents elect to play there. East’s double was not only a poor choice, it encouraged his partner to double four hearts. That contract would have gone down at least one, but South was multiple world champion Kerry Sanborn, who ran out to four no trump.

The opening club lead was ducked to South’s 10, and she led a low spade toward dummy’s jack. West rose with the king and reverted to clubs. East won with the ace and continued clubs to South’s king as West discarded a heart. Sanborn led the jack of hearts, covered by the king, and won with dummy’s ace. The jack of spades was cashed and declarer returned to her hand with the king of diamonds to cash two more spades, shedding diamonds from dummy. West had to find a discard and chose to part with a low diamond. A heart discard would be no better.

Sanborn now crossed to dummy’s ace of diamonds. North, West, and South were down to nothing but hearts. South led a low heart to her eight, losing to West’s nine. West was forced to lead a heart away from his 10 and Sanborn had her 10 tricks. Well done!

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