LEAVE YOUR DECISION AS LATE AS POSSIBLE

The Justin Lall Best Played Deal of the Year award from the International Bridge Press Association went to Sartaj Hans, with the journalist prize to Ron Klinger, both from Australia. However, that deal is too complicated for the space restrictions on this column.

I thought this runner-up instructive. It was played by Richard Pavlicek and written up by Jing Liu, both from the United States.

How did Pavlicek proceed in his contract of six no-trump after West led a safe spade?

In the auction, South’s twoheart rebid was either natural or a balanced hand with 25 or more high-card points. (He added 1 point for his excellent five-card suit.) Two spades inquired, and six no-trump was quantitative. Reaching the laydown six diamonds proved too difficult.

Declarer started with 10 top tricks: three spades, five diamonds and two clubs. To gain two heart tricks, there seemed only one chance: that West had the heart jack. However, Pavlicek deftly decided to delay the decision.

South cashed his five diamond winners. East discarded three spades, one heart and one club.

West pitched a club and a spade.

Next, declarer took his last two spade tricks, ending in his hand. West threw a heart; East, a heart and a club.

Everyone had five cards left. Pavlicek felt sure that East had begun with five hearts and, because he retained three, that the heart jack was one of them. So, South played a heart to the king and continued with the 10, covered by East’s jack and ducked by declarer. When the ace came down, Pavlicek claimed.