Bridge Deal of the Week (Jun 09 2006)

Problem:

The Auction:
North  East  South  West
2♦*     pass  2NT** pass
3♦*** pass   4♠      all pass

* shortness in diamonds, 3-suited hand 11-15 points
** Asking opener to describe his hand
*** 4-3-1-5 distribution

You are South on this deal, nobody vulnerable, playing IMPs against expert opponents. You are playing Precision this week and your partner opens a precision 2♦ bid, showing 11-15 points, a singleton or void in diamonds and a three-suited hand. You bid 2NT, asking partner to describe his hand. When partner shows a 4-3-1-5 hand, you bid an aggressive 4♠ as you have no wasted values in diamonds, and useful cards in the other suits.

West leads the ♦A, East signaling with the Queen, which shows the Jack. West continues with a low diamond, which you ruff in dummy. You lead a heart off the table, East rises with the Ace and plays a third diamond, forcing you to ruff again in dummy. How do you continue?

Hint:

Your main concern is to play the trump suit for one loser. As we saw in last week's deal, a trump lead is usually correct when an opponent shows a three-suited hand such as Precision 2♦. Why did West not lead a trump?

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Bridge Baron deal No: 31600499429794281730685081612

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Deal Of The Week