Executing a Vienna Coup.
Bridge Column for December 30, 2001, Harvey Bernstein
Neither side vulnerable.  East deals.
                              North
                              S: 3 2          
                              H: 4         
                              D: Q J 5 2     
                              C: A K J 10 7 4
            West                             East
            S: A K J 9 7 5                   S: 8 4          
            H: Q 8 5                         H: 10 9 7 2   
            D: K 7                           D: 10 8 6 4          
            C: 8 3                           C: 9 5 2       
                              South                         
                              S: Q 10 6
                              H: A K J 6 3  
                              D: A 9 3   
                              C: Q 6      
          The Bidding:  
                   East   South     West   North                  
                   Pass    1NT      Dbl     3H  
                   Pass    3NT      Pass    Pass
                   Pass    
     Thanks to Don and Kathy Sulgrove of Twinsberg for this hand
from a local duplicate game.  It is an excellent example of the
difference between rubber bridge and the match-point version of
the game.
     The bidding needs a little explanation.  West's double
showed a "one suited" hand.  North's three heart bid was alerted
and explained as showing six clubs and four diamonds with forcing
values.
     West led the king of spades, followed by the ace and then a
third spade.  South (Kathy Sulgrove) won the queen and counted
her tricks.  Six clubs, a diamond, two hearts and a spade brought
her to ten.  But she was pretty sure that West held both the king
of diamonds and the queen of hearts, and the run of the clubs was
going to bring a lot of pressure to bear if he had those cards.
     In order to execute a Vienna Coup against West, she cashed
the ace of diamonds before running her club tricks.  This
transferred the diamond threat to the North hand and allowed her
to discard two small diamonds.  This was the position before the
last club was played: 
                              North
                              S:            
                              H: 4         
                              D: Q J         
                              C: 7                
            West                             East
            S:                               S:              
            H: Q 8 5                         H: 10 9       
            D: K                             D: 10 8              
            C:                               C:             
                              South                         
                              S:       
                              H: A K J      
                              D: 3       
                              C:
     Declarer called for the seven of clubs.  East dicarded a
diamond, as did South.  West had to hold the king of diamonds
because of the queen of diamonds in dummy.  The heart discard
left the queen unprotected.  Declarer played a heart to the ace
and won the last three tricks with the ace, king and jack of
hearts.
     Making five instead of four was an excellent result and when
you wonder why the same names keep appearing at the top of the
winner's list, hands like this are the reason.  Sulgrove thought
far enough ahead to realize that if she did not cash the ace of
diamonds early in the play she would not be able to execute a
squeeze against West.  Try it and see for yourself.      
_______________________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.