♠ ♥ Bridge ♦ By Phillip Alder ♣ SucceSS or failure hangS on an entry Dealer: North cashes the heart queen, despite Vulnerable: Both hunting assiduously, he cannot find another heart to lead. What should North 08-25-21 East do now? ♠ A Q 8 3 North might have reversed with ♥ K 2 two spades on the second round of ♦ A J 9 4 2 the auction, but there wasn’t much ♣ A 3 point, since South had denied four spades. It was correct just to shoot West East out three no-trump. ♠ 10 5 ♠ 9 7 6 4 East knows that his partner ♥ J 10 9 8 6 3 ♥ A Q must be holding at least four heart ♦ 7 6 ♦ K 8 3 winners because South didn’t bid ♣ Q 6 5 ♣ K 8 7 2 one heart over one diamond, which he would have done with a four- South card suit. But how can West get ♠ K J 2 on play to cash those winners? He ♥ 7 5 4 seems unlikely to have an entry ♦ Q 10 5 card. ♣ J 10 9 4 There is one chance: West must hold the club queen. Her majesty will be an entry if, at trick South West North East three, East switches to the club 1 ♦ Pass king. 1 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass Probably declarer will win with dummy’s ace, cross to hand Opening lead: ♥ J with a spade and take the diamond finesse. However, East will win with It’s no good for a defender the king, lead a club to his partner’s to have winners in his hand if he queen and sit back to watch while doesn’t have an entry and his part- West cashes his four heart winners ner is now void in the suit. to defeat the contract by two tricks. Cover the West and South This play, sacrificing an honor cards. Against three no-trump, West to establish an entry for partner, is leads the heart jack. Declarer tries called the Deschapelles Coup, after dummy’s king, but East wins with Guillaume Deschapelles, a famous the ace. At this point, South’s spirits whist player. noticeably sag; he is expecting the whole suit to be run. But after East COPYRIGHT: 2021, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE Wed., 8/25.