Bridge Column for November 01, 1992 
Dealer: North
Vulnerable: Both

                              S: A 8 4
                              H: 8          
                              D: J 7 6      
                              C: A Q J 7 5 4

            S: 10 5             N          S: K 2   
            H: A Q 4 3       W     E       H: 10 9 7 6 5 2
            D: A 10 5 4 3 2     S          D: 8                  
            C: 6                           C: 10 9 8 3   
                          
                              S: Q J 9 7 6 3
                              H: K J      
                              D: K Q 9 
                              C: K 2        

                 NORTH   EAST    SOUTH    WEST                    
                   1C    PASS      1S      DBL
                   2S    PASS      4S     PASS 
                 PASS    PASS
     Mike Cassel reported this hand which has many interesting
aspects.  The bidding was standard.  East had an opportunity to
get into the action with his six card heart suit but decided that
his spade king was poorly placed and that he was lacking the high
card strength that is necessary when you come in vulnerable
between two bidding opponents.  Upon closer inspection it is
apparent that East-West can make eleven tricks with hearts as
trump.  That would have been a fine score and a pretty good
column, but no one will blame them for missing their thirteen
point game.
     The final contract is four spades and West leads the
singleton six of clubs.  Once again, the outcome of this hand
depends on the game you are playing.  If the hand was being
played in a good rubber bridge game, declarer should win the king
of clubs and lead a small spade to the ace and a spade back
losing to the offside king.  With trumps now extracted from the
enemies hands, it is a simple matter for declarer to hold his
further losses to the two red aces.  Ten tricks bid and made for
a fine score.
     However, at duplicate bridge, plus 620 will not be a good
score if the king of spades is onside (that is, in the West
hand).  If that's the case, those declarers electing to lead the
queen of spades towards the ace (and finessing if the king is not
played by West) will make an overtrick and their score will be
plus 650.       
     With all that in mind, declarer on this hand took the
finesse and when East regained the lead with the king of spades,
promptly returned a club, ruffed by West, who then played the ace
of diamonds and another diamond allowing East to score his little
trump and register a two trick set.  
     This is, by the way, one of the reasons that many fine
bridge players do not play tournament style duplicate bridge. 
They complain, and maybe rightfully so, that they should not be
punished in the scoring system for playing safely (and quite
reasonably) to make a contract, rather than to risk that contract
in an attempt to gain overtricks.