Make the best use of your assets.
Bridge Column for June 7, 2002, Harvey Bernstein
Neither side vulnerable.  North deals.
                              North
                              S: K J 9 3          
                              H: K Q 7       
                              D: J 10 9 4    
                              C: A 6     
            West                             East
            S: 6                             S: 4 2          
            H: 10 9 8 4                      H: 6 5 3      
            D: 7 6 5 2                       D: A Q 8 3           
            C: K J 9 7                       C: 8 5 3 2     
                              South                         
                              S: A Q 10 8 7 5
                              H: A J 2      
                              D: K         
                              C: Q 10 4   
          The Bidding:  
                  North    East    South    West                  
                   1D      Pass     1S      Pass
                   2S      Pass     3H      Pass
                   4C      Pass     4D      Pass
                   4NT     Pass     5H      Pass
                   6S      Pass     Pass    Pass
     As players become more experienced in matchpoint duplicate
tournament play they realize that there will be many
opportunities to confuse the opposition.  The player in the South
seat was at the point in his bridge career where his desire to
create some "illusion" for the opponents may have blinded his
vision on this hand.
     Six spades is certainly a good contract.  On the way, the
North-South partnership made some cue bids to show controls in
the side suits.  Three hearts by South showed the heart ace. 
Four clubs by North showed the club ace.  At that point, South
could have simply asked for aces and finding that one was
missing, bid the small slam in spades.
     South decided to cue bid four diamonds.  North asked for
aces and then bid six spades.  West led the ten of hearts.  This
came around to the ace in the closed hand.  Trumps were drawn in
two rounds, ending in the dummy.  
     In a continuing effort to "muddy the water", South called
for the jack of diamonds.  East may have been fooled if he was
not holding the queen along with the ace, but looking at both of
those cards, there was no reason not to play the ace.  If South
had a diamond void, it wouldn't matter what card he played, but
if South had the king, this play was very important.  
     East got off lead with a club and South had no chance. 
Afterwards he congratulated his opponents on not being fooled.  I
don't think he ever saw the winning line of play.  Do you?
     Instead of leading the jack of diamonds towards the king he
should call for the four of diamonds.  East will still go up with
the ace and return a club.  Declarer must win the ace in dummy
and lead the jack of diamonds, playing East for the queen.  If
East covers, declarer trumps and returns to dummy to use the
remaining diamonds for club discards.  If East plays low, South
takes a club discard and plays another diamond.  In either case,
the club loser goes away.
     Trickery and flim-flam are fun, but don't lose sight of the
best line of play for the contract at hand.
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Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.