January 2014 - 61

Solutions to Test Your Play

Advanced Players

Problems are on page 59.
Draw as many trumps as necessary, discarding diamonds from
the table, and lead a heart. If the
ࡖK holds (or if West goes up with the
ࡖA and gets out with a heart to dummy's king), ruff a low club to get back
to your hand. If East follows with a low
club, you know that West started with
six clubs and a stiff diamond, so then it
is only a question of using the number
of spades West started with to ensure
this contract against any distribution.
It's remotely possible that West
started with one spade, but this is far
and away the most unlikely distribution as it would place West with
ࡔK Q 10 9 x x and ࡖA J 10 9 x. That
would give East a singleton heart, and
he would have given suit preference at
trick one. In any case, your play is the
same once you determine that West
started with four or five hearts. Let's
say West started with two spades and
therefore four hearts.
After the ࡖK holds, ruff a club,
which leaves you with one trump
if spades were 4-1 or two trumps if
they were 3-2. In the latter case play
another trump leaving this forced end
position:

1.

ࡕ-
ࡖ A J 10
ࡗ-
ࡔ Q 10

ࡕ-
ࡖQ43
ࡗ-
ࡔAJ
immaterial
ࡕ9
ࡖ75
ࡗ64
ࡔ-

You need four of the last five tricks,
but you only have three. Three becomes
four, however, when you lead your last
spade.

If West discards a heart, discard the
ࡔJ, lead a heart, and set up dummy's
fourth heart, losing one heart trick. If
West discards a club, discard a heart
and lead up to the ࡖQ again, losing but
one heart trick.
What if West started with three
spades? This means that West started
with three hearts. So after winning the
ࡖK in dummy, ruff a club and lead a
second heart, setting up the hearts for
three tricks with the ࡔA, your entry
to the hearts if West ducks the second
round of the suit as he must win the
third and lead a club.
What if West started with a 4=2=1=6
pattern? Play two rounds of trumps
ending in dummy, ruff a low club and
draw the remaining trumps. Then lead
a heart. West, with ࡖA x (and knowing
you know he has A-x), does best to win
the ࡖA and exit a heart to dummy's
king. (Better than ducking and then
getting thrown in with the ࡖA and being forced to lead a club from the queen
staring at the A-J in dummy!)
After winning the ࡖK, play the
ࡔA, discarding a diamond, and ruff a
club, leaving dummy with ࡖQ x and a
diamond. You have a winning spade, a
low heart and a low diamond. This time
it is East's turn to get squeezed. East
has two hearts and a winning diamond.
When you play your last spade, discarding a diamond from dummy, East
has no answer. The diamond discard
sets up your tiny diamond, and a heart
discard allows you to take the last two
heart tricks.
The idea is to avoid the kissof-death minus 200. As East
would be unlikely to be doubling
with the ࡖK under the bidder, it is
reasonable to assign West the ࡖK and
perhaps the ࡖJ as well, East having the
balance of the high cards including four

2.

diamonds. In so many words, forget
heart establishment.
What you are going to have to hope
for is to find East with ࡕA K J, and
even then you have to time the play
properly. Start by winning the ࡗK and
running the ࡕ6, playing low whatever
West plays. If East has the expected
ࡕA K J, he will win the trick and exit
with the ࡗJ to dummy's queen, West
discarding a club. (If East somehow
had the ࡕA K 10, West would have to
make the neat play of the ࡕJ from the
J-9-8-3 to prevent East from winning
the trick.)
Now that you are in the dummy, the
idea is to ruff spades before hearts. Ruff
a spade, cash the ࡖA, ruff a heart, and
ruff another spade, presumably setting
up the ࡕQ 7 with only one lower spade
outstanding.
You have now arrived at this six-card
end position, having taken six tricks
and needing three more:
ࡕQ7
ࡖ-
ࡗ6
ࡔKJ6
immaterial
ࡕ-
ࡖ Q 10 3
ࡗ-
ࡔ743

ࡕ-
ࡖ-
ࡗ 10 9
ࡔ A Q 10 x

You ruff a heart in dummy and say
East overruffs. No matter how East
plays, you must take two more tricks.
Nor does it do East any good to refuse
to overruff. You play the ࡕQ, and must
come to two more tricks.
If East had a third heart in this ending with one less club, you would be
able to ruff a third heart safely, your
seventh trick, and play the ࡕQ. Once
again, East has no answer.
■
January 2014 Bridge Bulletin

61
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2014
