BRIDGE

BRIDGE

North-South vulnerable, East deals

NORTH

xA Q 5

uA 6 4

vA 9 6 5

wA 9 2

WEST EAST

xK 7 6 2 x10 9 3

uQ J 8 2 uK 9 7 5 3

vJ 8 7 4 vQ 3

w7 wK 6 4

SOUTH

xJ 8 4

u10

vK 10 2

wQ J 10 8 5 3

The bidding:

EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH

2v- Pass 4v-- Dbl

4u Pass Pass Dbl

Pass 5w All pass

-Weak one suited hand, either hearts or diamonds

--Pass or correct

Opening lead: Queen of u

Today’s deal was played in a Junior competition in England some years ago. South was a young Englishman named Ben Handley-Pritchard. The youthful exuberance of the East-West bidding kept North-South out of three no trump -- a sound contract that would have been defeated on a heart lead.

South won the opening heart lead with dummy’s ace, ruffed a heart, and then ran the queen of clubs. East won this with his king and led back a club. Declarer won this with dummy’s ace and led another club to his hand, drawing the last trump. He next ran the 10 of diamonds to East’s queen. East led a heart, ruffed by South, who then led a spade to dummy’s queen. He cashed the ace of spades and led a diamond to his king. East had shown up with two spades, two diamonds, and three clubs. He was expected to have a six-card heart suit for his opening bid, so Hendley-Pritchard led a diamond to dummy’s nine, finessing against West’s jack, to bring home his contract. Well done!

Had West covered the 10 of diamonds with the jack, it would have led to a similar position that would have required declarer to cash his last trump to pressure West out of a potential winner. Interested readers can have fun working it out.

Tribune Content Agency