Goren on Bridge

Neither vulnerable, South deals NORTH A1053 A85 Q7 9752

WEST J982 74 K854 AQ4

SOUTH K4 KJ1092 1063 KJ10

The bidding:

SOUTH WEST 1♥ Pass 1NT Pass Opening lead: Seven of

A pretty normal auction. The North-South auction ran out of juice at the three level, and both sides settled into the battle for nine tricks.

EAST Q76 Q63 AJ92 863

EAST Pass All pass

South won the apparently helpful trump lead in hand with the nine. He led a low diamond toward the dummy, and West rose with his king of diamonds to lead another trump. Dummy’s eight won the trick and a club to the jack lost to West’s queen.

West led a low diamond to East’s ace, who led his last trump.

Declarer now had to lose three diamonds and two clubs, drifting down one.

South discussed the deal with friends later hoping for sympathy. He found none. The opening trump lead told him where the queen was. The winning line was to rise with dummy’s ace at trick one and lead a club to the jack. He could win the second trump, finessing if necessary, and lead the king of clubs to knock out the ace.

Should the defense lead a third round of trumps, South can cash the 10 of clubs and take advantage of dummy’s nine of clubs to discard his last diamond. Anything else by the defense and South would have choices, including ruffing his last diamond.

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