It's a bidder's game.
Bridge Column for January 11, 2002, Harvey Bernstein
East-West vulnerable.  South deals.
                              North
                              S: J 4 3            
                              H: K J 8 7 4   
                              D: 10 7      
                              C: A 7 2   
            West                             East
            S: Q 7 6                         S: A K 10 8 5 2 
            H: 2                             H: 6 3        
            D: A Q 6                         D: J 9 5 4           
            C: Q J 10 8 6 4                  C: 5           
                              South                         
                              S: 9     
                              H: A Q 10 9 5 
                              D: K 8 3 2  
                              C: K 9 3    
          The Bidding:  
                  South    West    North    East                  
                   1H      Pass     3H       3S 
                   4H      Pass     Pass    Pass
     It's been said many times that bridge is a bidders game and
here is another example.  North was very conservative with his
three heart bid.  Four hearts would have been my choice.  East
did well to bid three spades, but West had no way to know if he
had enough to go to game, vulnerable.
     As the cards lie, East-West should be able to make four
spades, and it appears that North-South should be defeated at
four hearts, but things are not always as they appear.
     The opening lead was the six of spades.  East won the ace
and switched to his singleton club.  A diamond would have been
better but it wasn't going to change the outcome.  Declarer won
the king of clubs and cleared trump in two rounds.  A spade was
trumped in the closed hand and a club went to the ace, East
showing out.  North's last spade was trumped, completing the
elimination and leaving this end position:                    
                              North
                              S:                  
                              H: J 8 7     
                              D: 10 7      
                              C: 7     
            West                             East
            S:                               S: K 10       
            H:                               H:            
            D: A Q 6                         D: J 9 5             
            C: J 10 8                        C:             
                              South                         
                              S:      
                              H: Q        
                              D: K 8 3 2  
                              C: 9
     South led the nine of clubs.  West had no choice but to win,
but found himself well and truly end-played.  A club lead would
allow declarer to discard a diamond from the dummy while trumping
in hand, and a diamond lead would insure that South could only
lose one trick in that suit.  In either case, four hearts was

made for an excellent score.
     In the event that East switches to a diamond at trick two,
South must be careful to preserve the king of diamonds.  As long
as the ace of diamond falls in three rounds, the king will remain
to provide a resting place for the losing club.
_______________________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.