Both vulnerable. West deals.

Both vulnerable. West deals.

NORTH

x10 5

uK 10 2

v10 5 3

wA Q J 8 7

WEST EAST

x9 8 7 6 3 2 xA K Q

uQ 8 7 u9

vK J vQ 9 7 4 2

w10 3 w9 6 4 2

SOUTH

xJ 4

uA J 6 5 4 3

vA 8 6

wK 5

The bidding:

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

Pass Pass Pass 1u

Pass 2w Pass 2u

Pass 3u Pass 4u

Pass Pass Pass

Opening lead: Six of x

This deal is a simple exercise in counting. Or is it?

There is little to the auction. With a porous five-card minor, there is no point to East’s opening in third seat. It is unlikely that would have prevented North-South from getting to a good four-heart contract.

West led a low spade, East won with the queen, cashed the ace and then shifted to the four of diamonds. Declarer had to draw trumps in a hurry and, obviously, the location of the queen of hearts and the trump distribution were key to success — dummy’s clubs could take care of all declarer’s diamond losers.

South paused to count. The play in spades pointed to East holding all three top honors. In addition, East surely held one diamond honor, probably the queen — with all three diamond honors, perhaps even with just the king-queen, West would have led a diamond. Therefore, East was marked with 11 high-card points and, with the queen of hearts as well, he would surely have opened the bidding. So declarer won the diamond lead with the ace, cashed the ace of hearts and led a heart, inserting the jack when West played the eight. Making four hearts with an overtrick.

Declarer should give East credit for an assist. East should have won the first trick with the ace of spades and continued with the queen. That way, declarer would have had no complete count of the hand and the fate of the contract would have depended on how well declarer guesses.

2008 Tribune Media Services