Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Schedule, Results, ACBL Live and Bulletins
Using the bidding as a guide to play and defense – part 5
Opening lead: 
A
Bidding commentary: Notice that North does not raise hearts directly. A direct raise of a second suit is supposed to promise four-card support in blood! South completes the picture of his major suit distribution and, now knowing of an eight-card heart fit, North bids 4
.
Defensive commentary: You (East) signal high-low to show a doubleton club and ruff the third round of the suit. Now comes the crucial play. You (and partner) know that South is 5-5 in the majors and has turned up with three clubs, indicating a diamond void. Diamonds cannot be established, so what is declarer going to do with those five spades probably headed by the A-K?
Answer: He is going to ruff the three low ones in dummy … if you don’t lead a trump, South will take the last 10 tricks of the deal by cashing his high spades, ruffing spades three times in dummy and scoring his five trumps in hand. A trump return forces declarer to use two trumps on the same trick, limiting him to two spade ruffs in dummy and nine tricks overall.
Play commentary: If East fails to return a trump at trick four, cash the 
A and K and crossruff for 10 tricks.