Find the right defense.
Bridge Column for April 15, 2001, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN
Neither side vulnerable.  West deals.
                              NORTH
                              S: Q 8          
                              H: A 2         
                              D: 8 5         
                              C: K Q J 8 7 6 2
            WEST                             EAST
            S: 9 6 5 3                       S: 10 7         
            H: K 10 9                        H: 8 5 4 3    
            D: K 10 6 3 2                    D: Q 9 4             
            C: 9                             C: A 10 5 3    
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: A K J 4 2 
                              H: Q J 7 6    
                              D: A J 7     
                              C: 4    
          The Bidding://
                   WEST   NORTH     EAST   SOUTH                  
                   Pass    1C       Pass    1S  
                   Pass    2C       Pass    2H  
                   Pass    3C       Pass    3D  
                   Pass    3S       Pass    4S
                   Pass    Pass     Pass
     Thanks to Marty Baff of Beachwood for passing this hand
along to me from the qualifying round of the National Mixed Pair
competition at the Spring North American Bridge Championships
that were held in Kansas City, MO last month.  Marge Baldwin of
Akron held the West cards and found the only play to defeat four
spades.
     The bidding was unremarkable and Baldwin selected the three
of diamonds as her opening lead.  Baff played the queen and
declarer took the ace.  
     The four of clubs was led to trick two, with the jack losing
to the ace.  Baff returned the nine of diamonds which was covered
by the jack and won by the king.  Baldwin continued with the ten
of diamonds, forcing declarer to trump in dummy.
     Declarer cashed the queen of spades and attempted to return
the lead to the South hand by trumping a club.  Baldwin played a
higher trump and then found the key play to defeat the contract. 
She led the king of hearts!  No matter what declarer played, the
contract was doomed.  
     Declarer tried his best.  He won the trick with the ace of
hearts and returned to his hand with a heart to the queen.  He
drew all of the remaining spades and cashed the jack of hearts,
but lost the last heart trick to the eight.
     The play of an unsupported honor with the intention of
removing a vital entry from an opponents hand is called "The
Merrimac Coup".  The name comes from the American coal-carrying
ship "Merrimac" which was sunk in the Santiago Harbor in 1898 in
an attempt to block the Spanish Fleet.  The name is often
misspelled Merrimack, in confusion with the Civil War ironclad
that fought the Monitor.
______________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.