Neither vulnerable. West deals.

NORTH

♠K 10 8 7 4 3

♥A 8 7 5

♦J 6

♣6

WEST EAST

♠A 5 ♠Q J 6

♥J 10 9 6 ♥3

♦10 3 2 ♦Q 9 7 5 4

♣A 8 7 5 ♣Q 10 9 3

SOUTH

♠9 2

♥K Q 4 2

♦A K 8

♣K J 4 2

The bidding:

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

Pass Pass Pass 1NT

Pass 2♥ Pass 2♠

Pass 4♠ Pass Pass

Pass

Opening lead: Jack of ♥

This is another deal from the recent European Championships. In the Russia-Netherlands match, with Russia sitting North-South, a transfer sequence made South declarer at four spades. Hearts were never bid.

West led the jack of hearts, taken in the closed hand with the king. Declarer led a low spade. West shot up with the ace, and returned the six of hearts for East to ruff. After some thought East trusted partner's suit-preference signal and returned a club to partner's ace and ruffed another heart for the setting trick. This was the auction in the other room:

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

Pass Pass Pass 1NT

Pass 2♣ Pass 2♥

Pass 4♥ Pass Pass

Pass

Opening lead: Two of ♦

A low diamond was led to the jack, queen and ace and a low spade was led. West made the good defensive play of preserving the ace, and the king won. The spade continuation was taken by West's ace and the defender made life easy for declarer by cashing the ace of clubs before reverting to a diamond. However, with careful play declarer can always come to 10 tricks no matter how the defense wriggles. (09/10/10)

e-mail: gorenbridge@aol.com