Bridge World Sampler
TEST YOUR PLAY


   Test Your Play is an advanced-level declarer-play quiz.

December, 1995, Problem B

Rubber bridge
South dealer
East-West vulnerable


NORTH
S 8 2
H 7 6 5 2
D K Q
C A K 8 7 5
SOUTH
S A K J 10 9
H A
D J 10 9 8 7
C 3 2


SOUTHWESTNORTHEAST
1 SPass2 CPass
2 DPass2 HPass
2 SPass3 SPass
4 SPassPassPass


   West leads the heart jack.



   Plan the play.

(Solution below.)


*      *      *


Solution




NORTH
S 8 2
H 7 6 5 2
D K Q
C A K 8 7 5
WEST
S Q 6 5 4
H J 10 4 3
D 3
C Q 9 6 4
EAST
S 7 3
H K Q 9 8
D A 6 5 4 2
C J 10
SOUTH
S A K J 10 9
H A
D J 10 9 8 7
C 3 2


Four spades by South
Lead: Heart jack




   If your diamonds were not blocked, the correct play would be to win the heart ace, cash the ace-king of spades, then knock out the ace of diamonds, never leading trumps again. Assuming trumps were three-three or one opponent had four to the queen, you would lose two trump tricks and one diamond. (Taking a spade finesse, or leading a third round of trumps, would risk losing control against a four-two trump break, because the opponents would have an additional lead value with which to force a trump out of the closed hand.)

   However, with the blockage in diamonds, that play is not good enough to prevail against all four-two trump breaks. For example, suppose the cards are distributed as in the diagram. If the play begins heart ace, spade ace-king, diamond to the ace, heart, you have to play off the high diamond in dummy; this requires you to force the closed hand an extra time.

   Instead, you must play diamonds early, after one round of trumps, running the risk of a diamond ruff (but losing only when that ruff comes with a short trump holding). After diamonds are unblocked, you can use the second trump honor to return to the closed hand to continue diamonds.

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