Find the right defense.
Bridge Column for December 3, 2000, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN
North-South vulnerable.  South deals.
                              NORTH
                              S: A K 4            
                              H: A 9 3       
                              D: A J 9 8 5 4 
                              C: 6          
            WEST                             EAST
            S: J 10 8 7 2                    S: Q 5   
            H: 7 5 2                         H: 10 6 4     
            D: K 7 3                         D: Q 10 2            
            C: 5 3                           C: A Q J 8 4   
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: 9 6 3 
                              H: K Q J 8    
                              D: 6         
                              C: K 10 9 7 2 
          The Bidding://
                  SOUTH    WEST    NORTH    EAST                  
                   Pass    Pass     1D       2C 
                   Pass    Pass     3D      Pass
                   3NT     Pass     Pass    Pass
     This hand was played in the first session of the Life Master
Pairs at the North American Bridge Championships in Birmingham,
AL on November 17.  After North opens the bidding and East
overcalls two clubs, South passes in the hope that North will
reopen with a double which he will be happy to pass and defend. 
On perfect defense, the North-South pair could score nine tricks
for +800, which will be a wonderful score.
     Many players in the North seat decided that their hand did
not have much defensive potential and reopened by bidding three
diamonds.  South bids three no trump and that ends the auction.
     I held the South cards and against me, the player in the
West seat led the five of clubs.  This went to the six, the jack
and I won my king.  I led the six of diamonds to the jack and the
queen.  East shifted to the six of hearts.  i won the ace in
dummy and played the ace of diamonds and another diamond.  West
led another heart and I was able to score two spades, four
hearts, four diamonds, and a club for a total of eleven tricks.
     The Life Master Pairs is scored a little differently than
your normal local duplicate game.  The boards are scored across a
larger field, in this case, four sections.  This meant that top
on a board was 64.  I scored 38.5 matchpoints for making my
contract with two overtricks.  I can't imagine how bad the result
would have been if the player in the East seat would have cashed
his two winning club tricks when he won the king of diamonds.  I
was sure that +600 would have been a tie for a bottom on the
board.
     I was complaining about my poor result at dinner when
Chester Johnson of Chicago, IL pointed out that I was lucky to
even make three no trump.  He held the East cards and he made the
key play to defeat that contract.  Can you see how the defense
could manage to beat three no trump?
     West led the jack of spades.  Declarer called for the ace
from the dummy and Johnson unblocked the queen!  Now, when
declarer played to the jack of diamonds, Johnson was able to lead
the five of spades through the nine in the South hand.  Declarer
could win one more spade but could not score a ninth trick
without giving up the lead to East who would score spades to beat
him.
     Had Johnson not unblocked, he would have won the diamond
queen and played the queen of spades which declarer would have
ducked.  When East is unable to continue spades, declarer has the
timing to score at least nine tricks before the defense can
establish and cash spade winners.
     Johnson made the right play at trick one.  How would you
have done?
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