Games: Bridge

East-West game; dealer South

North

4A J

!A 9 7

#A K 10 6 4

2K 8 2

West East

49 7 6 5 4 3 2 4K 10 8

!Q J 10 !2

#2 #J 9 8 7 5

2Q 7 210 9 4 3

South

4Q

!K 8 6 5 4 3

#Q 3

2A J 6 5

"Not my day!" commented South after this deal. "Nothing broke and all the finesses were wrong." True enough, but he had missed the not- too-difficult chance of a "show-up" squeeze.

Playing five-card majors, South opened One Heart and North responded Two No-trumps, agreeing hearts and forcing to game. South's next bid of Three Spades conventionally showed a singleton and North now launched into Roman Key Card Blackwood to learn that South held two key cards, !K and 2A, but no !Q.

The final contract was Six Hearts and West led the !Q. Declarer won and two more rounds of trumps lost to West who switched to a spade. This was won in dummy, 4J was covered and ruffed, then South turned his attention to the diamonds. The 5-1 break meant that he had only one club discard to come and, when he finally tried the club finesse unsuccessfully, it was all over.

When the diamond suit failed him, South should have ruffed the fourth round from dummy and played off his remaining trumps, leaving #10, 2K,8 in dummy and 2A,J,6 in hand. East must keep the jack of diamonds, and so come down to two clubs.

A club is led to the king and a club returned. When East follows with the 10, declarer goes up with his ace, for East's last card is known to be the jack of diamonds.