BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Both vulnerable, East deals

NORTH

xK J 9 3

uA 3

vA 9 7

wK 10 4 3

WEST EAST

xQ 10 x6 5

u10 9 8 7 uK Q J 4 2

vJ 10 5 vK Q 4

wA 7 5 2 wJ 8 6

SOUTH

xA 8 7 4 2

u6 5

v8 6 3 2

wQ 9

The bidding:

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

1u Pass 3u- Dbl

Pass 4x All pass

-Pre-emptive with at least four hearts

Opening lead: 10 of u

Give West credit for his decision to bid three hearts. Many would have settled for a bid of two hearts. South’s jump to four spades was only mildly aggressive, but it resulted in an awful contract, needing a lot of luck to come home.

South won the opening heart lead with dummy’s ace, led a spade to the ace and another back to the king, successfully drawing trumps. A club to the queen lost to West’s ace, and West led the seven of hearts to East’s jack. East shifted to the king of diamonds, won in dummy with the ace. The king of clubs and a club ruff felled the jack, but one diamond discard on the 10 of clubs wasn’t enough. South still had the same two diamond losers that he started with. Down one.

Declarer should have seen that he needed two discards, not one. The only hope for discards was from the club suit, and he should have worked hard to think of a lie of the club suit that might provide two discards. East must have three (or two) clubs to the jack. Even a singleton jack will do. The location of the ace of clubs is not important. The correct play is to win the opening heart lead and draw trumps, ending in the dummy, and then lead a low club to the nine if East plays low. West will win with his ace and lead a heart to East. East will shift to diamonds, as before, but South will be in control. A club to the queen would be followed by a spade to dummy. When the jack of clubs falls under the king, South can be rightfully proud of his play.

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