REWIND - giving readers a chance to keep us on your toes

On the occasions when we let an incomplete or faulty
analysis slip through onto the pages of the Bridge
Bulletin, we usually hear from a few of our alert readers.
Rather than use their notes in Letters to the Editor, we
have created a new feature we call Rewind -- the readers'
chance to correct our mistakes.

Leading off is Yizhong Fan of Forest Hills NY. He
writes:
On page 60 of the November 1997 Bridge Bulletin, there
is a deal played in 7S, which fails because of 4-1 spade
split. The author pointed out an alternate line, but he
agrees it is almost impossible to find at the table.
Actually, there is another line which is 99%, if not
100%, cold and should be fould at the table.
Here is the deal (hands rotated for convenience, T=10)

S K3
H KQJ96
D A5
C AKJ3
S 8 S J952
H 7542 H T8
D Q82 D 9643
C Q9874 C T62
S AQT764
H A3
D KJT7
C 5

South plays in 7S. West led the D2 (third and fifth
best). Declarer should prepare the trump coup at trick
two. The best line of play is the following: win the DJ
on opening lead, SA, club to the ace, club ruff, spade
to the king.
If spades split 3-2, play a heart to the ace andclaim.
After seeing the bad news in spades, ruff a second club.
That makes six tricks. Now play the HA and a heart to
the king, running club and heart winners. If East ruffs,
overruff and draw the last trump. Play diamond back to
dummy and claim. This line is almost cold except for
four spades to the jack with West, which we do not worry
about.
The extra risk could not be more than 1% -- a 3-2
trump and (a) a in either opponent's hand and (b) West
has SA and a singleton club. South needs four entries
for the coup -- the CA, DA, HK and SK -- two for ruffing
clubs, one for running winners and the DA as the last
entry if East ruffs at an early stage.