Both vulnerable. West deals.

Both vulnerable. West deals.

NORTH

x7 6 4 2

u5 4

vK J 5 4

w9 8 4

WEST EAST

x5 xK J 3

u10 9 8 7 6 3 uA K 2

v10 8 7 vQ 9 2

wK 3 2 wQ 10 6 5

SOUTH

xA Q 10 9 8

uQ J

vA 6 3

wA J 7

The bidding:

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

Pass Pass 1NT Dbl

2u Pass Pass 2x

3u 3x Pass Pass

Pass

Opening lead: Ten of u

Many of the tops in their fields have been attracted to bridge. In business, Warren Buffet, Jack Dreyfus and Bill Gates; pianists Leonard Pennario, Solomon and George Shearing; composer Sigmund Romberg; writer W. Somerset Maugham; baseball stars Walter Alston, Tim McCarver, Wes Parker and Tom Seaver; actors Hugh Marlowe, Burt Lancaster, Chico Marx and Telly Savalas; hostess Pearl Mesta; President Dwight Eisenhower and Gen. Alfred Grunther; the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Prince Aly Khan, to name but a few. Most played only rubber bridge, but occasionally some ventured into the world of duplicate bridge. Gates was West on this deal from a National Mixed Board-a-Match Team Championship.

Despite holding only three points, with a known eight-card or better fit Gates bid twice with his six-card suit. Three hearts might have been made, but North pushed on to three spades.

East won the first two tricks with the king and ace of hearts, and then shifted to a low club, taken by West’s king as South followed low. Since East would have led a club honor from queen-jack, Gates consigned one of those cards to declarer and saw little future in clubs, so duly shifted to a diamond. Although declarer knew that East held every high card, the contract could no longer be made -- he had to lose two hearts, a spade, a diamond and another black-suit trick. Note that, had West returned a club rather than the diamond, declarer could have managed to endplay East. Try it.

2008 Tribune Media Services