MPs
Dealer: South
Vulnerable: N/S

AUCTION
SOUTH	WEST	NORTH	EAST
1	2N	X	3
3N	Pass	Pass	Pass

The contract is 3N and West leads the 4.

Plan the play.

Solution

Your first hurdle is what to play from dummy at trick one. Since you know that West is at least 5-5 in the minors, you cannot afford to give up the lead after scoring your club trick--the defense would simply cash the remaining clubs to set you. So you must plan to bring in the spade suit; even if hearts divide 3-3 (meaning West is void in spades), you only come to eight tricks--one club, 5 hearts, and 2 spades. One possibility is that West started with the queen doubleton of spades, but it is more likely that East has the Q (along with length in the suit). To cater to the possible QTxx or Q8xx in East's hand, you will require TWO entries to dummy in order to develop the spades.

Your plan should be to play the J and, if covered, return to the board to repeat the spade finesse. This assumes West dropped either the 8 or T; otherwise, East's spade spots will be sufficient to provent your setting up the suit--check it! Since the heart suit only provides one entry to dummy (without overtaking an honor at the expense of a trick), your other entry must be the J! Play the J at trick one and hope it holds. If it does, play the J. Say West plays the 8 after the J is covered with the Q and you win the trick with the A. Return to the board by cashing the KAQ-- you must cash all of the hearts now, as you will not get another chance--and run the 7 (or 5) to pick up the suit. If West followed to two rounds of hearts, your finesse is assured, since you now know his shape was 1-2-5-5; however, if he only followed to one round of hearts, meaning he could hold two spades, you run the risk of losing to the T8 holding in West's hand. If West did start with a doubleton spade, it was T8 or 83 or 82; so, two times out of three West will not hold the T8, and it will be correct to finesse again, rather than playing for the T to drop doubleton. In the actual deal, West followed to the first two rounds of hearts, and the contract was assured, declarer scoring five spades, three hearts, and one club.

Note that four spades can be beaten three tricks off the top--diamond ace, diamond ruff, club to the queen, diamond ruff, club to the ace, diamond overruff of dummy.

Thanks to Greg Burch of Newark, DE for submitting this month's problem. Greg declared the hand in 3N and played as in the recommended line.

The full deal:

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