Problem

The Auction:

* Sandwich 1NT

North opens the auction with 1♥, South responds with 1♠. West chimes in a Sandwich 1NT, this overcall shows a distribution of 5-5 in the two unbid suits – diamonds and clubs. South asks for aces. North`s answer – 5♥ shows two aces. South declares 6♠.

We invite you to take the South seat – can you take 12 tricks?

West leads the ♣5.

Contract: 6♠S

Vulnerable: North/South

Solution

With six trumps (the king is missing), the ♥A, ♦AK and ♣AK you can count 10-11 tricks. You need more.

Transportation will be a problem – there is a limited number of entry points to dummy`s hand. You play a small club from dummy and take the first trick with the ♣K (trick 1).

You have five diamonds and after taking the tricks with the ♦AK, you will be left holding three diamond losers. Luckily for you dummy has a singleton diamond, offering the possibility to ruff.

You take the next two tricks with the ♦A and ♦K (tricks 2, 3) and lead the ♦10 next. West plays the ♦Q, you ruff in dummy (trick 4). Now you lead the ♣A from dummy, then the ♥A – discarding one of your diamonds (tricks 5, 6).

Then you lead a small heart from dummy and ruff (trick 7), lead your last diamond and ruff with dummy`s ♠J. East overruffs with the ♠K (trick 8) and leads the ♥K. Now you have only spades left and can claim all the rest of tricks.

The declarer was wise not to shorten his trumps as East held four spades (4-1 split has the probability of 28%). Also dummy was short in spades, so South could not lead spades from dummy to draw trumps unless he solved the problem diamonds presented.

So instead the declarer focused on winning extra tricks with dummy's spades – as dummy was also short in diamonds, the declarer could trump two of his diamond losers in dummy.

This generated extra tricks: first South got one trick by ruffing a diamond, and as East used his ♠K to overruff the second trick, the declarer`s six trumps became winners after that. So by ruffing in dummy the declarer won seven tricks with spades.

Par Contract Analysis

The par contract on this deal is 6♠ by North/South.