Bringing in a doubled contract.
Bridge Column for October 18, 2002, Harvey Bernstein
East-West vulnerable.  North deals.
                              North
                              S: K J 3            
                              H: 9 7 6 4     
                              D: 8 4         
                              C: K 9 5 4 
            West                             East
            S: 8 7 6                         S: 9 2          
            H: K Q J 10 5 2                  H: A 3        
            D: Void                          D: K Q J 10 9 2      
            C: Q 10 7 2                      C: J 8 6       
                              South                         
                              S: A Q 10 5 4 
                              H: 8          
                              D: A 7 6 5 3 
                              C: A 3      
          The Bidding:  
                  North    East    South    West                  
                   Pass     1D      1S       2H 
                   Pass    Pass     2S      Pass
                   3S       4H      4S      Pass
                   Pass   Double    Pass    Pass
                   Pass
     P. O. Sundelin of Sweden nominated this hand for
consideration as the best played hand of the recently completed
World Championships in Montreal.  South was Joanna Stansby of
Costa Valley, CA.  Her partner, in the North seat, was her
husband, Lew, a World Bridge Federation Master and many times a
world championship.
     West led the king of hearts.  East played the ace and
returned a second heart.  Stansby trumped this trick.  She was
able to count eight tricks in trumps and minor suit winners, so
she needed to trump a couple of losers in the dummy and/or
develop a squeeze.  East had to have some reason for his double
and since it wasn't aces or trumps, Stansby figured that it must
be bad breaks in the red suits.  
     Since the one thing that she couldn't afford to have happen
was to have her ace of diamonds trumped by West, Stansby exited
with a small diamond.  East won and played another high diamond,
which Stansby ducked again.  At this point, the defense had
completed it's book but there was no way to come to another
trick.  Here is what the position looked like.
                              North
                              S: K J 3            
                              H: 9 7           
                              D: Void        
                              C: K 9 5 4 
            West                             East
            S: 8 7 6                         S: 9 2          
            H: Q J 10 5                      H: Void       
            D: Void                          D: Q J 10 2          
            C: Q 10                          C: J 8 6       
                              South                         
                              S: A Q 10 5   
                              H: Void       
                              D: A 7 6     
                              C: A 3
     No matter what East returns, declarer is in control and can
take the rest of the tricks.
     Giving up two diamond tricks early was the right play and
making the doubled contract was worth 399 matchpoints out of a
possible 414 - a 96% score!  The Stansby's finished 6th overall
in an outstanding field.
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Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.