BRIDGE

Today’s deal is from a recent online game. The actual auction took five rounds and included five alerts. We have substituted the auction above, which is the way my grandmother would have bid it. You’re welcome.

The queen of clubs held the first trick as South, withheld dummy’s king. The jack of clubs continuation was covered and East took his ace. East tried to cash the 10 of clubs, but South ruffed. South would have to hold the spade suit to one loser to make his contract. There are straight forward plays that might do this on a good day, playing one opponent or the other for a doubleton spade honor. South took a line of play that some would question, but he had a big smile on his face at the end.

A diamond to the queen at trick four won. South cashed dummy’s ace of diamonds, discarding a spade, and ruffed a diamond. A heart to the queen was followed by a ruff of dummy’s last diamond. A heart to the jack drew the trumps, and South ran the jack of spades to West’s queen. Forced to lead a spade or yield a ruff-sluff, West tried the nine of spades, which might have given South a problem on some other day. South, holding the eight, had no problem and soon claimed his contract.