BRIDGE

Declarer continued with the ace of clubs discarding a spade and ruffed a club. Two spades were pitched from dummy on the diamond winners and followed by a spade ruff. A third club fetched a spade from East as South ruffed and trumped another spade with the heart nine. A fourth club saw East go in with the ten of hearts as declarer overruffed with the queen. The king of spades was trumped with the heart jack and all players had been reduced to three cards with the lead in dummy. South held the ace-king-seven of hearts over East's eight-fivedeuce, N-S +510. The trump coup had brought home an impressive thirteen tricks.

South could have settled for twelve tricks by driving out the ace of spades. He could then ruff a spade in dummy, pitch another on the ace of clubs and draw trump. However, the opening lead had given him the chance of scoring thirteen tricks.

After a club ruff had felled the jack, he could emerge with thirteen tricks if clubs broke 33 and trump divided 2-2. A heart to the jack followed by a club ruff would yield another thirteen tricks. However, this line was way against the odds. South declined to advance beyond game because he held a club void and could not be certain that North held threecard heart support. North might have raised with a doubleton for lack of a viable alternative.

Author: Dave Willis - visit his website at www.insidebridge.ca Questions on bridge can be sent with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to The New Canadian Bridge c/o Torstar Syndication Services, One Yonge St., Toronto, M5E 1E6.