BRIDGE

BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable, North deals

NORTH

xA K Q J

uK 9 7 5 2

v4

wA 7 2

WEST EAST

x7 3 2 x6 4

uQ 10 6 4 uJ 8

vK J vQ 10 7 5

wQ 10 5 4 wK J 9 8 6

SOUTH

x10 9 8 5

uA 3

vA 9 8 6 3 2

w3

The bidding:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1u Pass 1x Pass

4v- Pass 4u Pass

4NT Pass 5u Pass

6x All pass

-Splinter bid, raise to four spades with shortness in diamonds

Opening lead: Two of x

North’s aggressive bidding landed North-South in a slam contract that had reasonable play. It would have been cold on any lead but a trump. South would simply cash his four side-suit winners and then score all eight of his trumps on a cross ruff. The trump lead made it much more difficult, but South was up to the task.

Dummy’s jack won the opening spade lead and declarer led a diamond to the ace and ruffed a diamond with the queen of spades. The king of hearts was cashed followed by a heart to the ace. Another diamond was ruffed, this time with the king of spades and a heart was ruffed by South. Declarer ruffed another diamond with dummy’s last trump, the ace, and ruffed a heart back to his hand.

Both red suits had been established by ruffing, but South was down to his last trump while the opponents still held three trumps. No problem! South cashed his 10 of spades, drawing two of the outstanding trumps, while discarding a club from dummy. He then led an established diamond, shedding another low club from dummy. West ruffed this, but dummy took the last two tricks with the ace of clubs and the established nine of hearts. East-West never knew what hit them.

Tribune Content Agency