Bridge Column for March 6, 1994 
Both sides vulnerable.  South deals.
                              NORTH
                              S: K Q 5 4           
                              H: A J 3       
                              D: Q 4         
                              C: K 10 7 5
            WEST                             EAST
            S: 8 6 2                         S: 9 7          
            H: Q 5                           H: 10 9 6 2   
            D: 10 8 7 6 3                    D: K 9 5 2           
            C: 9 4 2                         C: A Q J       
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: A J 10 3 
                              H: K 8 7 4   
                              D: A J     
                              C: 8 6 3    
                  SOUTH    WEST    NORTH    EAST                  
                   1NT     Pass     2C      Pass
                   2H      Pass     3NT     Pass
                   4S      Pass     Pass    Pass
     Alan Truscott reported this hand in the New York Times and
submitted it to the International Bridge Press Association as his
entry for the Defensive Play of the Year.  The hand was played in
a world class invitational tournament held in Brazil.  The
winners were Gabriel Chagas and Marcelo Branco, both of Brazil,
and also the reigning world pairs champions.  Branco sat West and
Chagas, East, on the diagramed deal.
     South opened the bidding with a weak one no trump (13 to 15
high card points) and became the declarer in four spades.  East-
West were playing normal, fourth best leads.  West led the two of
clubs.  Declarer played low from dummy and Chagas won the jack. 
Can you envision a play at this point that will defeat four
spades?
     From the bidding Chagas could place virtually every honor
card in the deck.  The most that was available for the West hand
was the queen of hearts or a couple of jacks.  He also knew that
South had at least four hearts and four spades.  The contract was
ice cold unless West held the heart queen.  If declarer held that
card he could pitch a diamond on the fourth heart and never even
take the diamond finesse, which would work, in any case.
     Chagas worked this all out very quickly and made an
astonishing play.  He cashed the ace of clubs and led the nine of
diamonds!  South thought he knew what was happening.  Fearing the
loss of the diamond finesse and then a club ruff, Declarer played
the ace of diamonds, drew trumps, ending in hand, and confidently
finessed the ten of clubs.  Chagas produced the queen of clubs
and then cashed the king of diamonds for down one.
     Chagas created a problem for declarer where no problem
existed.  He was only looking at his hand and the dummy.  You saw
all four hands.  Did you come up with an equally inspired
defense?