Partnership understandings.
Bridge Column for December 10, 2000, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN
East-West vulnerable.  North deals.
                              NORTH
                              S: 10 9             
                              H: A J 8 7 4 3 
                              D: Q J 9 2     
                              C: A       
            WEST                             EAST
            S: Q 6 5                         S: A K J 4 3    
            H: Q 10 6 5 2                    H: K 9        
            D: 5 4 3                         D: A 10 7            
            C: J 9                           C: Q 10 2      
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: 8 7 2  
                              H: Void       
                              D: K 8 6     
                              C: K 8 7 6 5 4 3 
          The Bidding://
                  NORTH    EAST    SOUTH    WEST                  
                   1H       1S      Pass    Pass
                   2D      Pass     Pass     2S 
                   Pass    Pass      3C     Pass
                   Pass   Double    Pass    Pass
                   Pass
     This hand is from the first session of the Life Master Pairs
that was contested at the North American Bridge Championships in
Birmingham, AL on November 17.  I held the North cards and my
partner was Al Freeman of Cleveland.
     Here we have a very good example of partnership trust. 
Freeman was not willing to allow the opponents to play two
spades, which would probably make.  He also knew that I would not
do anything foolish over his three club bid.  He had passed at
his first two opportunities to bid and the only reason he would
be introducing a new suit at this point in the auction would be
to play or to force the opponents up a level.
     East doubled and West found himself on lead.  A spade lead
should result in a one trick set.  The defenders should be able
to take three spades, one diamond, and one club.  If declarer
uses the ace of clubs to trump the third spade, then the defense
will score two club tricks instead of only one.
     But West had a problem.  Very often, partner's double asks
for the lead of the first suit bid by dummy.  West was looking at
a five card heart suit of his own, so the potential for East
wanting West to lead a heart appeared to be real.  In retrospect,
it is best for West to play the queen of spades and try to see if
a heart lead at trick two would be correct.  In the actual play
of the hand, West led the five of hearts.
     Freeman took full advantage of this.  He called for the ace
from dummy and discarded a spade from hand.  The ace of clubs
came next and then a heart was trumped in the closed hand. 
Freeman played the king of clubs and then drove out the ace of
diamonds.  In all, the defense was limited to two spades, a
diamond and a club.  Making three clubs doubled was scored as
+670 and was good for 63 out of 64 possible matchpoints (the
event was scored across four sections).
     As it turned out, Freeman's bid was a "can't lose"
proposition.  If the opponents could make two spades, then down
one, even doubled, will be a better score.  If the opponents
decide to "take the push" and bid three spades, proper defense
should defeat that contract for a plus score our way.
     Hands like these are pivotal.  Knowing that you can take a
"risky" action and that you will not be punished by your partner
is a very important part of the game.  And every once in a while
the opponents make the wrong opening lead.  But you have to be
able to give them the chance.
___________________________________________________________________