Dem Bones

N/S Vul
IMPs
Dealer: North
Lead: 4

	priceat A 10 7 4 A Q J 9 7 5 Q 7 2
jun K Q 9 6 4 2 A 6 2 3 A J 3		Maestro 7 Q J 9 8 5 3 K 10 2 9 5 4
	arung J 10 8 5 3 K 8 6 4 K 10 8 6

West Pass 3 Pass

North 1 3 Dbl

East 2 Pass Pass

South Dbl Pass Pass

Today’s auction is a case study in how a series of normal bids can lead to a disastrous contract. The diamond opener is unobjectionable, and Gee’s weak overcall is perfectly correct at the favorable vulnerability. South’s negative double is on the thin side, but if you pass you can easily miss a cold spade game. West happily takes the opportunity to sandbag his moose in support of hearts, and is delighted to see his belated raise Bonesed by North, ending the auction.

So our hero winds up in 3HX where 4H has an excellent play. But it’s not called a Bones double for nothing. The defense begins with two rounds of diamonds, Gee winning the king and sluffing a club from the board, carefully preserving the spades. Is there a losing line? An immediate spade works. A diamond ruff and a spade works. A diamond ruff and the trump ace nets an uptrick, as does a trump finesse followed by the finesse of the 9 back. The trump finesse followed by a second high trump, a diamond ruff, and a high spade works. With the heart king stiff, even the club ace and a second club works.

Give up? The maestro leads the trump queen, wins South’s king with the ace, leads another trump back, plays the jack, and only then, having established the high trump for North but before ruffing a diamond, does he play a spade! The contract would still make if South held the spade ace, but we all know how unlucky Gee is. North wins the ace, cashes the trump and a diamond, and the defense comes to a club at the end to beat the contract one.

(Hand credit: pseudo-Gerard)