With Bob Jones
Neither vulnerable. South deals.
NORTH
S-10 9 7 6 5
H-A K J 8
D-K 7
C-6 4
WEST EAST
S-8 2 S-K Q J 3
H-10 6 5 2 H-9 4
D-9 4 3 D-10 8 6 5 2
C-J 10 7 3 C-A K
SOUTH
S-A 4
H-Q 7 3
D-A Q J
C-Q 9 8 5 2
The bidding:
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1NT Pass 2C Pass
2D Pass 3H- Pass
3NT Pass Pass Pass
-Game force with five spades and four hearts
Opening lead: Nine of D
North-South used the popular Smolen convention. When a Stayman inquiry fails to find a four-four major suit fit, a jump to the three-level in one of the majors shows five cards in the other major, allowing the contract to play from the stronger side should there be a five-three fit. There was no eight-card major fit on this hand, so the routine contract of three no trump was reached.
The contract may have been routine, but it was far from cold. There were only eight top tricks and the ninth was not close at hand. South decided, reasonably, that clubs offered a better chance than spades, so he won the diamond lead in dummy with the king to lead a club. This was a plan that seemed certain to succeed on the lie of the cards, but East found a brilliant counter.
After winning his king of clubs, East shifted diabolically to the three of spades! What should South do? It was right to duck his ace on this layout, or if the shift was from three-two doubleton. Should East have played from king-queen-x-x, king-jack-x-x, or queen-jack-x-x, South could block the suit by rising with the ace. After agonizing thought, South went with the percentages and played his ace. Down one! Don’t play East for money!
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