July 2008 - 50

INTERMEDIATE PLAYERS

Better Bridge
with Bergen

Marty Bergen
Mbergen@mindspring.com
Surviving the
wrong contract
On the following deal, I was South.
Can you predict the final contract?
Dlr: West  -
Vul: Both  A 7 6
 K J 10 9 7 4 2
K87
 K 10 4 3
Q975
N
Q
 K 10 8 4 2
W E
8653
A
S
Q963
 10 5 4
AJ862
J953
Q
AJ2
West
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

North
1
2
3
Pass

East
Pass
Pass
Pass
Dbl

South
1
2
4
All Pass

The bidding proceeded normally
until North's 3 bid. North's third
bid should have been 3, which
would have resulted in a routine 3NT.
West's 3 lead rode to my J.
I led the Q and overtook it with
North's king. East won his ace and
returned a club. I won with my ace
and played a third round of clubs to
dummy's king. A high diamond from
dummy was ruffed by East's 2 and
overruffed by my 3. I cashed the
50

A and ruffed a spade on the board.
Another high diamond was ruffed by
East's 4 and overruffed with my 5. I
ruffed a spade with dummy's 7 and
continued with the fourth round of
diamonds. East ruffed with the 10
and I overruffed with my J for my
ninth trick. Dummy still had the A
and I scored plus 790 for 4 doubled.
After East doubled, West should
have led a trump. On a trump lead,
it's not possible to take 10 tricks.
It would not have helped the defense if East had returned a trump
after winning the A or had he
ruffed any of the diamond winners
with the K and returned a trump.
After West's opening club lead, this
contract was ice cold.
Do you believe in miracles?
After getting bad hands all day,
you're thrilled to see:
A K Q 10 5 3 K 2 K 7 3 A J.
Partner opens 1. You jump to
2, and partner raises to 3. With
controls in all suits, you bid 4NT and
are delighted when partner shows two
aces.
You can now count 11 tricks in aces
and kings. Partner must have more
than two aces for his opening bid, so
you bid 7. The J is led, and partner tables his minimum opening bid.
Dlr: North  J 9 8
Vul: None  A J 9 6 5
AQ2
 10 4
642
7
N
7
 Q 10 8 4 3
W E
 J 10 9 5
864
S
86532
KQ97
 A K Q 10 5 3
K2
K73
AJ

7 is an excellent contract. You
have 12 tricks off the top, and can set
up hearts for your 13th. To preserve
entries to dummy, you win the diamond lead in your hand. You draw
all the trumps in three rounds, and
cash the K and lead a heart to the
ace. Disaster! West shows out on the
second heart. Your first grand slam
in several weeks, and now it looks
hopeless!
In case East is asleep, you lead
the 9, but East covers with the 10.
You ruff and run all your trumps.
Maybe East will throw away his Q
- dream on. Once your spades are
gone, you lead the 3 to dummy's
queen.
With three cards remaining, here is
the position:

-
-
 10 9
8

-
J
A
 10
N

W E
S

-
-
7
AJ

-
Q
-
KQ

You cash dummy's A, and are
surprised when East discards the
Q. When you lead the 10, East
plays the king. Yessssss!
You win the A, and your J is
now good as well. Making a grand
slam on a squeeze - that doesn't
happen every day.
As long as you cash your winners and have entries to both hands,
miracles can happen. East discarded
correctly. He had to keep his Q and
hope that West had the J.
r
Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2008
