THE BEST DEFENSE OF MANY A YEAR

T he Gidwani Family Trust Defence of the Year award from the International Bridge Press Association went to two Canadians: Brad Bart (West) for his imaginative play and Danny Miles for the article.

Cover the East and South hands. Against four hearts doubled, you lead the diamond king: two, three (upside-down), 10. Given that you do not know where the 13th diamond is (partner would have played the three from four-three doubleton), how would you continue?

North's redouble showed spades.

West judged that South was unlikely to have bid four hearts with two immediate diamond losers. He also realized that if he tried to cash the diamond ace and it was ruffed, South would have been able to draw at least one round of trumps and play a spade. If West ducked, declarer would have picked up East's trumps with the aid of a finesse and exited with his second spade, endplaying West to revitalize the diamond queen or open up clubs. Or, if West won the first spade trick and returned the spade queen, declarer would have cashed dummy's spade winners.

Shifting to a trump or a club would have been equally ineffective.

Hoping that South had exactly two spades, Bart found the only lethal play - he tabled the spade queen!

Declarer won with dummy's king, picked up the trumps and led his second spade. However, West won and played the diamond ace. South ruffed but then lost two clubs and went down one.

Without South's crazy four-heart bid, there would have been no story ... or prize money! South deserves a subsidiary stipend.