Daily Bulletin

This is a new, more accurate version of the report published in the Friday edition of the Daily Bulletin.

It is rare to see a team score IMPs by spectacular declarer play at one table and imaginative defense in the other room. But in Tuesday's match between the Carolyn Lynch and Peter Schneider squads in the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams, Larry Cohen and Curtis Cheek (for Lynch) were full value for a 14-IMP swing. Cohen, playing with David Berkowitz was South.

Vul: East-West Dlr: South	K 9 4 2 K J 10 10 A J 10 4 2
	A J 6 5 3 A 7 4 A J 9 4 2 --

West	North	East	South
	Berkowitz		Cohen
			1
Pass	4	Pass	4
Pass	4	Pass	6
All Pass

On the lead of the 7, Cohen put up the ace, pitching a heart. Then he played the A, ruffed a diamond, ruffed a club (West following with the 5), ruffed a diamond, cashed the K), played a heart to the ace and ruffed another diamond (West pitching a heart), reaching this position:

Vul:  Dlr:	K J -- J 10 4
	A J 6 5 -- J --

Cohen cashed dummy's K, and East showed out! The key was that, in the four-card ending. West was known to have three spades and a plain card left. Was it a heart or a club? There were two reasons to think it was a heart. West's club lead was consistent with a doubleton - it would have been a falsecard from three. Also, there was perhaps an element of restricted choice: with a club and a heart left, when West discarded on the third diamond he might have pitched a club.

So Cohen ruffed a heart back to hand safety (both opponents following suit), then exited with his diamond. West suffered the indignity of having to ruff the trick to be endplayed in trumps.

The full deal:

Vul:  Dlr:	K 9 4 2 K J 10 10 A J 10 4 2
Q 10 8 7 9 6 5 3 K 8 2 7 5		-- Q 8 2 Q 7 6 5 K Q 9 8 6 3
	A J 6 5 3 A 7 4 A J 9 4 2 --

At the other table, the auction was the same, and Curtis Cheek, West, started proceedings against the slam with the K. Declarer won the A at trick one and played a spade to dummy's king at trick two, leaving him no play for 12 tricks.