BRIDGE

BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable, South deals

NORTH

xA 10 9 6 2

u9

v7 4

wQ J 10 7 4

WEST EAST

xK Q 3 x8 7 5 4

u8 5 2 uK 7

vK J 6 5 v10 9 3

wA 5 3 wK 9 6 2

SOUTH

xJ

uA Q J 10 6 4 3

vA Q 8 2

w8

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1u Dbl 1x Pass

4u All pass

Opening lead: King of x

The opening spade lead went to dummy’s ace and declarer took a moment to assess his chances. West would have led a club if he held both the ace and king, so the spade lead suggested that the king of diamonds was probably offside.

South led the seven of diamonds and played the two from his hand when East played the nine. Declarer was threatening a diamond ruff in the dummy, so East shifted to his low heart. Declarer let this run to dummy’s nine and then led a diamond to his eight and West’s jack. There was no entry to dummy, so West led the ”safe” queen of spades. South ruffed and laid down the ace of hearts. When that felled the king, South had a chance.

South cashed all of his hearts hoping something good would happen. On the last heart, West had to come down to three cards. Should he keep the ace of clubs, he would be thrown in with that card and forced to lead a diamond into the ace-queen. He discarded his ace of clubs to avoid this, but South had the counter. He cashed the ace of diamonds, removing East’s last diamond, and exited with a club. East won with the king, but had to give dummy the final trick with a club.

West could have cashed the ace of clubs before leading the ”safe” queen of spades. The contract would also have been defeated had East led a spade rather than a low trump earlier. South would get a diamond ruff in dummy, but East would retain his trump winner and there would still be a diamond loser.

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