Test Your Play is an advanced-level declarer-play quiz.
December, 1995, Problem B
Rubber bridge
South dealer
East-West vulnerable
NORTH 8 2 7 6 5 2 K Q A K 8 7 5
SOUTH A K J 10 9 A J 10 9 8 7 3 2
SOUTH
WEST
NORTH
EAST
1
Pass
2
Pass
2
Pass
2
Pass
2
Pass
3
Pass
4
Pass
Pass
Pass
West leads the heart jack.
Plan the play.
(Solution below.)
* * *
Solution
NORTH 8 2 7 6 5 2 K Q A K 8 7 5
WEST Q 6 5 4 J 10 4 3 3 Q 9 6 4
EAST 7 3 K Q 9 8 A 6 5 4 2 J 10
SOUTH A K J 10 9 A J 10 9 8 7 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.