Making an impossible game.
Bridge Column for April 22, 2001, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN
North-South vulnerable.  East deals.
                              NORTH
                              S: J 6              
                              H: 8 6         
                              D: K Q 5 2     
                              C: A 8 4 3 2 
            WEST                             EAST
            S: K 10 9 7 3                    S: Q 2  
            H: Q 7                           H: K 9 5      
            D: 10 8 4                        D: A J 9 7 6 3       
            C: J 7 5                         C: K 6         
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: A 8 5 4 
                              H: A J 10 4 3 2 
                              D: Void      
                              C: Q 10 9   
          The Bidding://
                   EAST   SOUTH     WEST   NORTH                  
                   1NT     2C        2H    Double
                    3D     4H       Pass    Pass
                   Pass    
     Thanks to Gene Benedict of Toledo for sending me this hand
from the National Open Pair competition at the Spring North
American Bridge Championships that were held in Kansas City, MO
last month.  
     The bidding requires a little explanation.  The opening one
no trump bid was the "weak" variety, showing 13 to 15 high card
points.  The two club overcall showed a hand with some values and
an unspecified suit.  Two hearts was a transfer to spades.  The
double was not penalty.  It showed a hand with scattered values
that was able to compete.  Three diamonds by East was natural,
showing at least a six card suit.  Baff bid four hearts, which
ended the auction.
     The opening lead was the four of diamonds.  Baff played the
queen from dummy, which was covered by the ace.  This trick was
trumped in the closed hand.  
     It was time to evaluate the situation.  The percentage play
in the trump suit would be to lead towards the ace-jack-ten
twice, but Baff lacked the entries to do this.  He decided to
play on spades before dealing with hearts.  He started with a low
spade to the jack in dummy.  West played low and East won the
queen.  Now the defender was on the spot.
     Thinking that Baff was planning on trumping losing spades in
the dummy, he returned the five of hearts.  Baff played the ten
and West won the queen.  West returned a heart to remove the last
trump from the dummy, but in doing so, he sacrificed East's king.
     Baff drew the outstanding trump.  He had already lost two
tricks and had only the club suit to work with.  He led the ten. 
West played low and a low club was played from the dummy.  East
won the king but had no answer.  He returned a club.  Baff won
the queen and led the nine to the ace, clearing the suit.  His
losing spades were discarded on the long clubs.  
     Had West covered the ten of clubs with the jack, Baff would
have won the ace of clubs and played a club back towards the
queen.  East would be forced to win this trick and would be able
to do nothing but return a diamond.  Baff would then unblock
the high club from his hand and take discards on the good
clubs in dummy.
     Careful defense would have defeated this contract, but East
would have to lead a spade at trick three.  Baff's play was
deceiving and the opponents were not up to the task.
_________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.