BRIDGE

BRIDGE

North-South vulnerable, West deals

NORTH

xK J 9 6 4 3

u8 7 6 5

vQ

w9 5

WEST EAST

x10 8 x7 5 2

uA J 9 uK Q 3 2

vJ 9 5 3 v4 2

wK Q J 8 w7 6 4 3

SOUTH

xA Q

u10 4

vA K 10 8 7 6

wA 10 2

The bidding:

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

1v Pass 1u 1NT

Pass 2u- Pass 2x

Pass 3x Pass 4x

All pass

-Transfer to spades

Opening lead: King of w

Mark Horton, a well-respected bridge writer from the United Kingdom, tells us of this remarkable deal, reportedly played in a remote village in France.

The club lead attacked South’s entry for the diamond suit. Trying to take three diamond tricks before drawing trumps was not likely to work due to West’s opening one diamond bid, so declarer ducked the opening club lead, won the club continuation, and led a heart. He was hoping that the defense would let him ruff a heart in his hand. West won the heart with his nine and shifted to a trump. Another trump from the defense after winning a second round of hearts would prevent South from getting a heart ruff. Desperate now, South won the trump shift with the ace in his hand, overtook the queen of spades with dummy’s king, and ran the spades.

After the last spade, North was left with three low hearts and the queen of diamonds and South with the ace-king-10 of diamonds and the 10 of clubs. West had to come down to four cards and he needed three diamonds to the jack and the high club. He was forced to discard the ace of hearts. Playing like he had x-ray vision, South overtook dummy’s queen of diamonds with his ace and exited with the 10 of clubs. West was forced to win and then had to lead a diamond into declarer’s king-10. A beauty!

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