December 2010 - 57

Solutions to Test Your Play
1.

-
A762
J95432
KQ5
 K 10 8 4
Q932
N
 10 9
J85
W E
 10 6
AQ87
S
 A J 10 9 4
87
AJ765
KQ43
K
632

This is a touchy contract and you
have to assume some decent suit
breaks. For openers, a short suit lead
tends to indicate that trumps are
breaking evenly. Also, the usual tech‑
nique on touchy hands is to try to set
up a long suit. Translation: Go after
diamonds.
Win the club shift and ruff a dia‑
mond low: You need to find West with
a second diamond. Assuming West
follows, cash the A, discarding a
club, and now three rounds of hearts
ending in dummy. Assuming hearts
are 3-2, lead the J discarding a
black card. After East wins the Q,
dummy is high except for a club loser.
Notice there is still a trump in dummy
to ensure getting to the established
diamonds. Looks easy, but this is a
layout that many declarers (not you,
of course) are likely to botch.
It doesn't matter what East returns
at trick two, the contract is still on
ice. Say East returns a spade, usually
a good idea to try to force dummy
to ruff when long suit establishment
looms. Win the A, discarding a club,
and lead a club. West must win or
else it is too easy. If West plays low,
dummy wins, a low diamond is ruffed
low, three rounds of trumps ending in
dummy and now the J is played giv‑
ing up a trick to the Q. Dummy still
has a trump to get back to the the es‑

tablished diamonds, so all that is lost
is a club and two diamonds.
Back up and have West win the A
and exit a low spade, forcing dummy
to ruff. Your reply after ruffing the
spade is to ruff a diamond low and
play the king-ace of hearts, leav‑
ing a low trump in dummy and the
bare Q in your hand. Now the J.
If East plays low, discard a spade. If
West ruffs, you have two dummy en‑
tries (a club and a trump), enough to
ruff a diamond and return to dummy.
If East covers the J, ruff with the
Q, enter dummy with a club and
play good diamonds, losing a third
defensive trick to the high trump, but
still having a tiny trump in dummy to
get back to the diamonds.
2.

K6
AQJ76
Q9843
2
 Q 10 9 8 7 4 3
AJ2
N
952
 K 10 8
W E 2
-
S
QJ9
K76543
5
43
 A K J 10 7 6 5
 A 10 8

Though it may look right to lead up
to the K, hoping to avoid the heart
finesse if the A is with West, it isn't
right. At all.
Given that West has led the Q and
probably has the jack as well, what
does that leave East for his first‑seat
1 bid? Well, it is hard to piece to‑
gether an opening bid that does not
contain both the A and the K un‑
less East has something like:
Q J x K x x  - K J x x x x x.
That would leave West with:
A 10 9 x x x x x x x x Q x.

Problems are on page 55.
Not everyone's choice for a 3 re‑
sponse.
In any case, given the likelihood of
both the A and the K with East,
ruff both clubs in dummy and run off
each and every trump, reducing to a
low spade and two low hearts in your
hand, dummy remaining with the
blank K and the A Q. What can
East save? Remember, it is likely that
East started with three spades, so
it should be relatively easy to know
what three cards East has left. You
already have a provisional count on
spades. You will see if West follows
to three clubs and you will know who
has the missing trump.
1. If you think East has reduced to
the A and K-x of hearts, exit a
spade and wait for the heart return
into your ace-queen.
2. If you think East has blanked the
K, show East that he is not play‑
ing with children by crossing to the
A.
r

Donald Campbell
1957-2010
Don Campbell of Saskatoon SK
died Sept. 24 while traveling in Italy.
A Diamond Life Master and one of
Canada's top players, Campbell won
the Silodor Open Pairs in 1990 with
partner Barry Harper. Campbell, a director and ACBL accredited teacher,
was also a past member of local unit
and district boards.
Campbell graduated from The
Saskatchewan College of Dentistry
in 1980 and practiced in Saskatoon
his entire career.
He is survived by his life partner
Cydney Hayes, his children Jocelyn
and Kevin, parents Keith and Gladys,
and siblings Colleen and Robert.
December 2010 Bridge Bulletin

57
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2010
