This is hand #67 from the book, Masterpieces of Declarer Play, by Julian Pottage. This book has some very nice hands.
You are South, and end up in 4H. West leads the club 9 (opponents lead low from xxx).
RHO overtakes the C9 lead with the T, and returns a spade, J, K from LHO and won in the dummy with the A.
How will you play?
[Please feel free to comment with your solution]
Solution (posted on 12th November 2014)
The intended solution is as follows:
LHO seems to have led from 9(x) of clubs. So RHO has the AKJT(x). RHO also seems to hold the spade Q (weak inference). Since RHO passed initially, it is likely that LHO has the DQ.
Now if we play a club (key play #1) after winning the spade Ace, threatening to ruff the fourth with the HK, RHO will have to play back a heart. So you play a club, and on the expected trump return, draw trumps.
Now for key play #2: advance the DJ.
LHO has to cover this, which you duck!
LHO does not have any more clubs, and if diamonds are 3-2, you can now make 10 tricks.
[See the comments for another nice line by Martin]
You are South, and end up in 4H. West leads the club 9 (opponents lead low from xxx).
| IMPS None | Dummy ♠ AT ♥ Kx ♦ AKxxxx ♣ Qxx | |
| You ♠ J ♥ AQJTxx ♦ Jx ♣ xxxx |
| W | N | E | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | 2H | ||
| P | 4H | all | pass |
RHO overtakes the C9 lead with the T, and returns a spade, J, K from LHO and won in the dummy with the A.
How will you play?
[Please feel free to comment with your solution]
Solution (posted on 12th November 2014)
The intended solution is as follows:
LHO seems to have led from 9(x) of clubs. So RHO has the AKJT(x). RHO also seems to hold the spade Q (weak inference). Since RHO passed initially, it is likely that LHO has the DQ.
Now if we play a club (key play #1) after winning the spade Ace, threatening to ruff the fourth with the HK, RHO will have to play back a heart. So you play a club, and on the expected trump return, draw trumps.
Now for key play #2: advance the DJ.
LHO has to cover this, which you duck!
LHO does not have any more clubs, and if diamonds are 3-2, you can now make 10 tricks.
[See the comments for another nice line by Martin]
the contract is 4H, declarer needs at least ten tricks. At the moment there are nine: six trumps, two diamonds and a spade. where is a tenth?
ReplyDeleteas the lead was either a singleton or a doubleton headed by the nine, east is marked with AKJT(x) in clubs. Therefore a 3-3 club break is out of question. Furthermore, the spade switch knocked out the only outside entry to dummy and it is not possible anymore to set up the diamonds for club discards with a ruff in the closed hand and reach them after drawing trumps. Also, it does not help to bring down west's singleton or doubleton diamond queen, because declarer is missing the ten (west has put on the spade king, east should have the spade queen and as he passed in first seat he can't have the diamond queen).
so, it will have to be either a club ruff or a squeeze. as the only entry to dummy is in diamonds and the single threats in spades and clubs are guarded by east, east must have the diamond guard, too, for a squeeze to work.
At trick three, a club is led from dummy. If defenders do not lead a trump, declarer has the tempo to ruff a club in dummy high. If they lead a trump, the count is rectified for an automatic triple squeeze. Nothing left to do, but run all the remaining hearts.
this will be the hoped for end-position:
dummy:
S T
H -
D AKx
C x
East
S Q
H -
D Txx
C A
declarer
S -
H x
D Jx
C xx
the last heart squeezes east.
Good card reading! Nice line of play.
DeleteThere is a different line which is probably better, though.
Hi Martin,
DeleteI have updated the blog post with the solution in the book.