Bridge - Spring North American Championships - NYTimes.com LOUIS - The Spring North American Championships here in March featured a lot more excellent deals than is usual for a Nationals. In some ways the diagramed deal was the best of them all, although, to be fair, declarer had one opportunity to ruin the story. It was first reported by Sven-Olov Flodqvist from Sweden. South was in four spades doubled after the given auction. Bjorn Fallenius of New York (West) led the heart queen, which South took with his ace. If declarer had now led a trump through West, he could have escaped for down one. But hoping to make his contract, he played a diamond to the nine (upside-down count), king and ace. How did East, Peter Fredin from Sweden, and Fallenius defend from there to take the contract down two? By partnership agreement, two no-trump showed 5-6 or 6-5 in spades and diamonds, and three spades indicated a singleton or void in that suit with club support. To obtain down two, the defenders had to take two spades, two diamonds and one club. But that required keeping South from reaching his hand to play a spade, which would have allowed him to hold West to one trump winner. There was only one way for the defenders to do that. At Trick 3, East shifted to his club deuce (low from an odd number), putting his partner on play so that he could lead another heart, which South had to ruff in the dummy. Now came a diamond to East's jack. East continued with the heart king, on which West discarded his diamond queen. Declarer trumped in the dummy and led a diamond, ruffed in order by East's deuce, South's eight and West's jack. Then West led a club. South had to ruff in the dummy and could not stop West from scoring his spade king for down two. That was bridge as an art form. On Wednesday night at 6 a charity game at the Honors Bridge Club, 133 East 58th Street, 14th Floor, in Manhattan, will benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy in Red Hook, Brooklyn. For details or to donate to Red Hook Volunteers, call the bridge club at (212) 230-1230.