BRIDGE

BRIDGE

Both vulnerable, East deals

NORTH

xK 5 3

uA Q 9 4

vQ 9 4 3

w3 2

WEST EAST

xQ J 10 7 6 x8 2

uK J 3 2 u8 5

v7 5 vK J 10

w6 5 wA J 10 9 8 7

SOUTH

xA 9 4

u10 7 6

vA 8 6 2

wK Q 4

The bidding:

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

Pass 1v Pass 1u

2w Pass Pass 3v

Pass 3NT All pass

Opening lead: Six of w

The opening club lead went to East’s seven and South’s king. South was the great Norwegian player Tor Helness. Most players would have started on diamonds at trick two, but Helness reasoned that East’s hand was limited by his failure to open the bidding. East’s club holding was obvious and he would have opened the bidding had he held both red kings. Should Helness lose an early trick to the king of hearts in the East hand, there was an excellent chance that West held the king of diamonds.

Helness decided to play on hearts first, rather than diamonds. He led the 10 of hearts at trick two, covered by the king and won with dummy’s ace. Helness next led a club from dummy. East rose with his ace and cleared the clubs with a third round to South’s queen. Helness successfully led a heart to dummy’s nine, noting the incredible fall of the five and the eight from East. Declarer crossed back to his hand with a spade to the ace and led the seven of hearts, skillfully managing four tricks from the heart suit. That was enough to get his total up to nine and bring home his contract.

Note that the contract would have failed had Helness started on diamonds first. He would eventually play on hearts, but he would no longer have the entries to take four tricks in the suit. Nicely played!

Tribune Content Agency