How would you play this hand?
Bridge Column for April 28, 2007, Harvey Bernstein
Special To The Plain Dealer
East-West vulnerable.  South deals.
                              North
                              S: 8 4 3         
                              H: 7 2       
                              D: A Q 10 8 5  
                              C: Q J 10     
            West                             East
            S: K Q 10 9 2                    S: 7 5        
            H: Q J 9 5                       H: K 10 6 5 3 
            D: 6 4                           D: K 2               
            C: 6 3                           C: 9 5 4 2     
                              South                         
                              S: A J 6
                              H: A 8        
                              D: J 9 7 3   
                              C: A K 8 7  
          The Bidding:  
                  South    West    North    East                  
                   1NT     Pass     3NT     Pass
                   Pass    Pass
          Opening lead: QS
     Before reading any further, look at all four hands and
decide how you will plan the play of this hand.  
     Let's assume that East plays the five of spades and declarer
plays the six.  West now switches to the queen of hearts. 
Everyone ducks and the jack of hearts is next.  You win the ace
and play the jack of diamonds.  West plays the four.  The five is
played from the dummy and East wins the king.  The king, ten, and
six of hearts are cashed and the contract is defeated two tricks.
     How did West know to switch to the queen of hearts at trick
two?  The lead of a queen by a defender against a no trump
contract asks partner to play the jack, if he has it.  When East
did not play the jack, West knew that South held that card.  If
East had the ace of spades, it would have been correct for him to
overtake the queen and return the suit, so it was very likely
that South held the ace as well.    
     Could South have done any better?  Let's stop and look at
the hand from the declarer's perspective.  Assume that the king
of diamonds is with East.  If South wins the first trick and
takes the diamond finesse, East will win and return a spade,
allowing West to cash four tricks - down one.  So South has to
hold up, but he has to find a way to keep West from switching to
hearts.  What if he plays the jack of spades under the queen. 
What could West think?  Why would he do anything but continue
spades to drive out the ace?  Of course he would.  Now the
diamond finesse goes to East who has no more spades.  Declarer
wins the heart return and runs his diamonds and clubs making an
overtrick.  
     And if East has another spade, then West started with only
four and the contract is safe.  Declarer will lose only three
spades and a diamond.
     This is not a difficult play.  A simple falsecard by an
alert declarer.  It's training yourself to think about your play
before you make it that is the difficult part.  
     Unit 125 of the American Contract Bridge League held the
Ohio Masters Sectional Bridge Tournament in Solon on March 23 
- 25.  The following players were successful in their respective
events on March 25.  Other results appeared in previous columns.
     Flight A Board-a-Match Teams (15 teams). Stratum A1. 1.
James Zimmerman, Shaker Heights, Kumar Bhatia, Pepper Pike,
Phillip Becker and Brian Ellis, Beachwood. 2. Sandra and Richard
Fleischman, Beachwood, with Mary Paulone Carns and Gail Carns,
Export, PA.  Stratum A2. 1. Philip Dawson, Cleveland, J.
Lawniczak, Novelty, Gordon Berry, Chagrin Falls, and Russell
Stambaugh, Palm City. FL. 2. Kermit Wolford, Aurora, Monica
Early, Cuyahoga Falls, Sophie Novak, Solon, and Alan Steggles,
Ravenna.
     Flight B Swiss Teams (14 teams). 1. James Novak, Solon, Jean
Joseph, Cleveland, Duane Seelinger, Mentor On the Lake, and Chet
Jain, Willoughby.  2. Marlene Zinamon, Beachwood, Henry Essig,
Westlake, Victor Vertes and Arthur Ehrler, Cleveland.
     Flight C Swiss Teams (18 teams). 1. Roger Edwards, Stow,
James Pivarski Jr, Munroe Falls, Richard and Susan Roberts,
Cuyahoga Falls.  2. Anne O'Donnell, Gates Mills, Robert Werner,
Chagrin Falls, Bradley Sevcik, Olmsted Falls, and Robert Carroll,
Warren.
______________________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon. 
To reach Harvey Bernstein:
hjb0416@yahoo.com