September 2010 - 57

Solutions to Test Your Play
1.

 A K J 10 2
 A J 10
753
J2
9753
864
N
74
6532
W E
KJ6
 10 9
S
KQ74
8653
Q
KQ98
AQ842
 A 10 9

You start with 11 top tricks and
have several chances for a 12th. For
example, you can take two club finesses and come home 76% of the
time. You can do better, however.
Win the K, cash the Q, cross to
the A and cash two more spades,
discarding diamonds. If everyone follows to three spades, play a fourth
round and discard another diamond
(reducing to the blank A Q in your
hand), and lead the J from dummy.
If it covered, you're gin: Win the ace,
cross to dummy with a heart and play
the fifth spade, discarding the Q,
and concede a club. You have the rest
with a high club, a high diamond and
a high heart.
If the J loses and a heart comes
back, win in dummy, discard the Q
on the fifth spade and repeat the club
finesse. This line gains when West has
one or two hearts and fewer than five
spades (as in the diagram). Upon winning the club finesse, West must exit
with a club or a diamond giving you a
12th trick without needing a second
club finesse.
If West has five spades, you will
see East show out on the third spade.
Stop playing spades (you will wind up
squeezing your hand) and run the J.
Say it loses and West exits a heart
(best) if he has one. Win in dummy,
discard two more diamonds on winning spades and repeat the club

finesse.
If West started with five spades but
has no more hearts when he wins the
club finesse, West's best return is a
spade to dummy as you pitch a diamond. Now you can give yourself a
small extra chance by crossing to the
A, and if no stiff king falls, return to
dummy with a heart, discard the Q
on the fifth spade, and repeat the club
finesse.
This deal was played by Catherine
Cohen of Spokane WA.
2.

 K J 10 8
764
 10
J5432
AQ97
K52
Q64
AKQ

For this one, the East-West hands
are immaterial to the best line of play.
Assuming clubs aren't 5-0, this contract is cold if East has the A. The
idea is to try to make it even if West
has the A. A little subterfuge can't
hurt. One possibility is to win the
opening lead in dummy, cash the A
K of clubs, cross to dummy and lead
a club. Another possibility is to win
the lead in dummy, lead a club to the
queen, cash the A, return to dummy
with a trump (always keeping a later
trump entry to dummy) and lead a
club. In both cases you are leading
towards a high club with a trump outstanding.
What can happen? If a second
round of clubs is ruffed with the outstanding trump, you need to find the
A onside to make the contract unless West ruffs and errs by leading a
heart from the ace. If clubs are 3-2
and the player with the long spade
also has the long club, you are home

Problems are on page 55.
free: Your third high club lives, so you
can cross to dummy with a trump,
pitch a diamond and a heart on dummy's winning clubs and lead up to the
K, trying for an overtrick.
Say the player with the doubleton
club has the odd trump. If it is West,
and West ruffs looking at both red
aces, West has to underlead the A
to get the heart through to defeat the
contract. These underleads of the A
from West are not clear. From West's
point of view, declarer might have the
K and the Q. So you may still be
alive even if West finds this play.
The big pickup comes when East
has the doubleton club along with
three spades and no A. East must
ruff, though not sure that you have
the winning club. In any case, you are
giving each opponent a chance to err
with no risk yourself.
r

Eddie says, "Oops."
Several readers noticed I blew it on
Problem 1 in the August issue. The
situation is this: After West opens 1,
North-South climb to 4.
Dlr: West
Vul: None
IMPs

 A K 10 3
AQ3
QJ
KJ75
Q5
J9852
 10 9 6 4 3
 10

West leads the A and continues with
the K, East playing high-low. West
cashes the A and continues with a
third diamond.
After ruffing the third diamond with
dummy's queen, you should shorten
yourself at once by ruffing a low club
from dummy. Now after the K drops
singleton as needed and the marked
heart finesse is taken, there is no need to
take the spade finesse. You can just play
high spades and the K, if necessary if
East doesn't ruff.
September 2010 Bridge Bulletin

57
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2010
