We start our new Hand-Of-The-Month feature with a deal from the National Finals of the Grand National Teams, Flight B, in Albuquerque, NM in 1997. You are playing in the Round of 16 of a KO tournament (IMP scoring), and the match is very close, when the following deal arises.

Dealer: South
Vulnerable: E-W

(1) Shows some values
(2) Cue bid

A word about the bidding: This was not the actual bidding, but it is a reasonable auction. There are certainly a few calls which are questionable (for example, we prefer opening 1, but suspect many would open 2). Your choice of final contracts, particularly at this form of scoring, is certainly not clear-cut, as a third-round diamond loser could be unavoidable.

Fortunately, your final contract certainly has chances. The match is close, and you can obviously see that a lot of IMPS are riding on this hand. West leads the A; East plays the 4. Plan the play.

Solution to Play Problem