Local Column 1

By: Larry Cohen

Local Column 1

Vul: Both
Dlr: West
J 4
Q 5
A K Q 4 3
7 5 4 2
 
8 7 6 5
K 7 4
5
Q 10 9 8 3
 Q 10 3 2
10 8 3 2
J 7 6
K 6
 A K 9
A J 9 6
10 9 8 2
A J
 
WestNorthEastSouth
    
Pass1Pass1
Pass2Pass3NT
PassPass  

Boca Greens showed that it's a big bridge community when 66 players showed up for the first in a series of bridge lessons.

The deal below challenged all of the South players. The given bidding is one of many possible auctions. South was a bit conservative, but the final contract of 3NT is a good one.

West led the 10, and East was supposed to play the king (third-hand high). It looked as if South had nine easy tricks (five diamonds, and four more in aces and kings). South won the club ace and played out the ace-king-queen of diamonds. At this point, most Souths were chagrined to find that the fourth round of diamonds put them in the wrong hand. They won the fourth round of diamonds with the ten and couldn't get back to dummy to cash the fifth round of the suit. This meant down one.

Several declarer's saw the "trick," pardon the pun. They carefully led the diamond eight to the first round of diamonds. Then they threw the nine and ten under the other high diamonds from dummy. Now, dummy could stay on lead and cash the 4 and 3 since South's remaining diamond was the deuce. This was the easy way to make the contract.