Novice/Intermediate Declarer Problem of the Month
September, 1999
This month's hand occurred at a recent Monday night game in Talleyville, DE.
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NORTH  A J 8 7 K 3 8 3 2 9 8 7 6 |
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SOUTH K Q T 9 6 3 2Q 7A Q 45 |
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| AUCTION | |||
| SOUTH | WEST | NORTH | EAST |
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
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| 1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
| 4 |
Pass | Pass | Pass |
A, you play low, and East plays the deuce. West then shifts
to the K, followed by the Q which you ruff.
Solution
There are nine certain tricks (seven spades, one heart, and one diamond), ten if the diamond finesse is working. In the event that the finesse
isn't working, it appears that the opponents can make four hearts, so maybe down one won't be too bad. Anyway, it looks like there isn't much to
the hand; just draw trumps and take the diamond finesse. However, there is a remote possibility that might work, even if the finesse
doesn't.
To start, lead a trump to the board and ruff another club; return to dummy with a trump, then ruff the last club. Finally, return to dummy with
the K, arriving at this position:
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NORTH 8 78 3 2 |
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SOUTH K 6A Q 4 |
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Now that you have stripped the hearts and clubs, lead the EIGHT of diamonds from dummy. If East makes a mistake and
doesn't cover, duck the trick to West, who will then be endplayed--that is, he will be forced to lead a diamond into your AQ
tenace, or offer up a ruff and discard, allowing you to get rid of the Q.
However, remember the bidding. West did open 1, so it is just slightly
possible that East may not be able to cover the 8, and your play allows
you to make the contract in a totally legitimate fashion.
The full deal:
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NORTH |
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WEST |
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EAST |
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SOUTH |
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Notice if you play a small diamond from dummy, East can break up the endplay by inserting the
7, which he may do if for no other reason than to
give count. Also, note that East-West CAN make 4 hearts.
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