North-South vulnerable. South deals.

North-South vulnerable. South deals.

NORTH

xA K 9 3

uJ 7

vJ 9 6 5

w9 7 3

WEST EAST

x7 5 4 x10 8 6 2

u9 8 3 uK Q 10 6

vQ 10 7 3 v4

wK J 10 w6 5 4 2

SOUTH

xQ J

uA 5 4 2

vA K 8 2

wA Q 8

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1v Pass 1x Pass

2NT Pass 3NT Pass

Pass Pass

Opening lead: Three of v

Declaring three no trump, South won the first trick in spectacular fashion SEmD and, unfortunately, at the cost of the contract!

South’s bidding showed a balanced hand of 18-19 points — a slight underbid since the queen-jack in partner’s suit was worth full value. North had no problem raising to game.

While we would have chosen any card but fourth-best in opener’s suit for the opening lead, the end result was spectacular. South covered with dummy’s five, East followed with the four and declarer provided the two SEmD a record that might be equaled but never broken unless one of the players was void in the suit. Should declarer be able to score four tricks in either spades or diamonds, or if the club finesse were to succeed, the contract would be a cakewalk.

Declarer cashed the king of diamonds and got the bad, though certainly not unexpected, news that there was still a loser in the suit. Since there was no entry to dummy outside spades, South cashed the queen, overtook the jack with the king and cleared the ace, then tried the club finesse. That failed, and so did the contract.

As so often happens, the contract was blown at the first trick. It was obvious that diamonds were 4-1, and declarer should have realized that a dummy entry was necessary to assure four spade tricks.

Had declarer won the first trick in hand with a high diamond and cashed a remaining high diamond and queen-jack of spades, he would have had a diamond entry to the table to cash the two high spades for nine tricks without a club finesse.

2008 Tribune Media Services