With Bob Jones
East-West vulnerable. West deals.
NORTH
S-A K J 6 5 3
H-K 10 9 2
D-4
C-K 2
WEST EAST
S-9 4 S-10 8 2
H-J 3 H-A 8 7
D-A K Q 8 D-J 9 6 2
C-A Q 10 6 5 C-9 4 3
SOUTH
S-Q 7
H-Q 6 5 4
D-10 7 5 3
C-J 8 7
The bidding:
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
1C Dbl Pass 1H
Pass 3H Pass 4H
Pass Pass Pass
Opening lead: Ace of D
North fell in love with his hand and showed the love with his bids. South, who might have had nothing for his first bid, accepted the invitation with his meager assets. Would it be enough?
It seemed that all declarer needed to bring home his ambitious contract was to find the jack of trumps. He found it but still had problems, thanks to an imaginative defense by West, who continued with a second diamond at trick two. South, who was off three aces, couldn’t afford another loser. He ruffed in dummy, crossed to his hand with the queen of spades, and led a trump to dummy’s nine. This forced the ace from East, who played another diamond. South ruffed this in dummy and cashed the board’s last trump, the king. This dropped the jack, but East’s eight of trumps had been promoted to an important card. South had no entry to his hand to draw it.
Declarer began to run dummy’s spades. When East had to follow to the third spade, South was in good shape. He discarded his last diamond on the third spade and continued to run the spades. East could ruff in whenever he liked, but South would overruff and lead a club toward dummy’s king. With the club ace favorably placed, as advertised by the auction, South had an entry to the good spades. Four hearts, bid and made!
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