Get the timing right.
Bridge Column for December 16, 2006, Harvey Bernstein
Special To The Plain Dealer
Both sides vulnerable.  South deals.
                              North
                              S: 4                
                              H: 10 9 7 4    
                              D: A K J 4     
                              C: J 9 7 2 
            West                             East
            S: A K Q 10 8                    S: 7 5          
            H: 8 6 3                         H: 2          
            D: Q 5                           D: 8 7 6 3 2         
            C: A 8 4                         C: K Q 10 6 3  
                              South                         
                              S: J 9 6 3 2
                              H: A K Q J 5  
                              D: 10 9      
                              C: 5        
          The Bidding:  
                  South    West    North    East                  
                   1S      Pass     1NT     Pass
                   2H      Pass     4H      Pass
                   Pass    Pass
          Opening lead: 3H
     West, with a very nice hand, is really unable to bid after
South opens one spade.  When the North-South pair wind up in four
hearts, West leads a trump, and will do so at each opportunity,
to reduce the number of trumps available for declarer to use
separately.
     Declarer wins the first trick and leads a spade.  West takes
this trick and continues hearts, as planned.  If declarer tries
to trump two spades in the dummy, trumping long diamonds to
return to hand, he will be down to only one trump in hand when he
returns to play the fourth spade.  No matter how hard he tries,
he will be able to take only nine tricks and finish down one.
     Instead, declarer must rely on the queen of diamonds being
onside and he should lead one at trick four.  West will cover the
ten with the queen.  Declarer wins this trick in dummy and
returns to hand with a trump.  He cashes the nine of diamonds and
then trumps a spade with the last heart in the dummy.  The king-
jack of diamonds along with two more trumps in hand will bring
him to ten tricks; five hearts, four diamonds, and one spade
trumped in dummy.
     To accomplish this, the timing must be precise.  If declarer
trumps a spade before playing on diamonds, he will find himself
without an entry to the dummy to enjoy the good diamonds, and the
contract will be defeated.  Having the vision to see this play
early on takes a great deal of practice.  Don't be upset if you
can't do it immediately.  With experience, hands like this one
will become easier.

     Masterpoint Press of Toronto, Ontario has just released two
new books that are a bit different than the bridge books that we
normally see.  The Naked Bridge Player by David Silver is a
collection of short stories that all include bridge as a part of
the plot.  Go Ahead, Laugh! by Jude Goodwin is a collection of
bridge cartoons that capture life the way it really is at the
bridge table.  
     Cuebidding At Bridge: A Modern Approach by Ken Rexford is a
more traditional offering that covers a topic that does not get a
great deal of exposure.  This book fills an important gap in the
literature of bridge for the serious player.
     Information about all of the offerings from Masterpoint
Press is available at their website:  www.masterpointpress.com
     If you would like to receive their most recent catalog, you
can call (416) 781-0351.
      
_______________________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon. 
To reach Harvey Bernstein:
hjb0416@yahoo.com