Making money from paper

Money comes and goes all day long on Wall Street. This has attracted many of America's best bridge players. I was shown today's deal by Jim Krekorian, who used to trade at the American Stock Exchange in New York City. He played in the two-no-trump contract at a tournament in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

You might not like the auction, but that's how it went. Over two no-trump, North understandably chose to pass. If he had gambled with a plunge into four spades, he would have gotten lucky and made it.

West guessed well to lead the diamond seven: three, king, five. Back came the diamond 10, suggesting that the suit was 5-3.

Krekorian ducked this trick but won the next, having discarded two low spades from the dummy. Now came the spade queen: two, six, seven. So, the spades were apparently 3-3. Declarer continued with the heart ace and king. When the 10 appeared on the second round, Krekorian concluded East had started with only a doubleton. This marked East with 3=2=3=5 shape.

Declarer played a spade to the jack and ace. When East returned a low club, Krekorian went up with his ace, cashed the heart queen and exited with the club eight. East took the club jack and queen, but then he had to give the last two tricks to the spade king and club 10 on the board. Krekorian's eight tricks were two spades, three hearts, one diamond and two clubs.

Finally, East would have defeated two no-trump by shifting to a low club at trick two — very tough.