November 2012 - 55

Solutions to Test Your Play
1. Win the diamond shift cheaply
in your hand and ruff the ࡖQ high,
covered or not, and play a second high
trump from dummy. If diamonds are
4-1, draw the two remaining trumps,
discarding a spade from dummy, cash
the ࡔA and cross to the now-blank
ࡕA and hope to run the clubs.
You need 3-3 or 4-2 clubs (84%).
The two traps are not to run the ࡖQ
to take an unneeded ruffing finesse at
trick two nor to take a practice spade
finesse.
If both follow when you cash a
second diamond, cross to the ࡔA, ruff
your last heart with dummy's remaining trump, ruff a low club, cash your
remaining diamond discarding a spade
from dummy, and run the clubs. With

diamonds 3-2, you can handle 5-1
clubs as well.
Thanks to Jon Shuster of Gainsville
FL for this one.
2. Matchpoints: There is a wonderful
chance to make an overtrick without
too much risk, so go for it. Cash the
ࡗK J at tricks two and three, cross
to the ࡔA, discard two hearts on
the winning diamonds, and now the
ࡔK Q. If clubs break 3-3, you have
13 tricks. If they break 4-2, give up a
club. At this point, the only way you
can lose is if diamonds were 5-2 and
the player with the four clubs also has
five diamonds, a rather long shot.
IMPs: The play in a knockout match
is something else. For a 30-point

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(1-IMP) investment, it pays to try to
ensure your contract rather than play
for the overtrick, which requires 3-3
clubs. In addition, your opponents at
the other table may not have reached
a slam, making it even more important
to bring this baby home safely.
In order to guard against the same
player holding four clubs and five
diamonds, cash the ࡗK J of diamonds
at tricks two and three, but this time,
duck a club - the key play - at trick
four. Win the heart or spade return,
cross to the ࡔA, discard two hearts
on the ࡗA Q, return to your hand with
a spade, and cash the ࡔK Q. As long
as clubs are 3-3 or 4-2 (84%) you have
12 tricks.
❒

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Problems are on page 53.

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continued from page 30
answer. He would have won with
dummy's ࡕK and led a third spade,
discarding his diamond loser.
Suppose West plays another spade.
North ruffs high, plays a diamond to
the ace, ruffs a diamond and crossruffs home.
Plus 100 and plus 1430 gave 17 IMPs
to USA1 and the lead by 26 with two
boards to play. USA1 gained 6 IMPs
on these boards to take the set by
74-12 and the match by 182-150. After
Israel won 12 IMPs on the first board
of the session, they did not score
another point.
USA1 fell behind Poland early in the
final and, unable to pull off a second
momentous comeback, never recovered. They lost to the gold medalists
215-168.3.
Playing on the USA U21 team were
Kaplan, Andrew Jeng, Richard Jeng,
Zachary Brescoll, Zachary Grossack
and Adam Grossack.
❒
November 2012 Bridge Bulletin

55
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2012
