Making the right bid at the right time.
Bridge Column for August 9, 2002, Harvey Bernstein
Neither side vulnerable.  North deals.
                              North
                              S: A Q J 2         
                              H: A J 4 2     
                              D: K J 8       
                              C: J 3     
            West                             East
            S: K 7 5 3                       S: 9            
            H: Q 9 8                         H: K 10 7 3   
            D: Q 10 5 4                      D: A 7 6 3           
            C: Q 10                          C: 9 8 7 5     
                              South                         
                              S: 10 8 6 4
                              H: 6 5      
                              D: 9 2   
                              C: A K 6 4 2
          The Bidding:  
                  North    East    South    West                  
                   1D      Pass     1S      Pass
                   3S      Pass     4S      Pass
                   Pass    Pass
     Thanks to Cindy Sustin of Cleveland for this hand from the
Summer North American Bridge Championships that were held in
Washington, DC last month.  Her team was entered in the Flight
B/C/D Swiss Teams for players under 2,000 master points.  Sustin
sat North.  On the first hand of the first match she immediately
faced a tough decision.
     She had the count and the distribution for a one no trump
opening bid, but she was 4-4 in the majors and there was that
nasty club holding to consider.  With all of this in mind, she
opened one diamond.  South, Randy Breuer of Sarnia, Ontario,
Canada bid his four card spade suit.  Sustin raised to three
spades to show her count.  Breuer reevaluated his hand and
continued to four spades.
     East led the four of diamonds which went to the jack and the
ace.  The diamond return was won in dummy and a diamond was
trumped in the closed hand.  A small spade went to the jack, East
dropping the nine.
     Breuer, noting the fall of the nine of spades, abandoned
trump and played a club to the ace.  When the ten fell from West,
he continued with the king and saw West contribute the queen. 
The two of clubs was next.  West discarded his last diamond. 
Declarer trumped with the two of spades while East followed with
the eight of clubs.  
     The ace of hearts was cashed and a small heart went to the
queen.  West was on lead to this end position:

                              North
                              S: A Q          
                              H: J 4     
                              D:        
                              C:     
            West                             East
            S: K 7 3                         S:             
            H: 9                             H: K 10     
            D:                               D: 7                 
            C:                               C: 9      
                              South                         
                              S: 10 8    
                              H:          
                              D:       
                              C: 6 4
     East had missed a chance to be a hero.  Had he played the
king of hearts and then led the nine of clubs, the contract
whould have been down one.  West, however, had no chance.  No
matter what card he selected, he could not stop declarer from
scoring three of the last four tricks.
     In the replay, North opened one no trump and South passed. 
West led the four of diamonds and declarer made an overtrick. 
     The result on this hand was a great start for the day and
the team finished 2nd out of 59 teams entered in the event. 
___________________________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.