Bridge Deal of the Week (August 08 2018)

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Problem

THE AUCTION:

West North East South
      1♣
2♠ Dbl Pass 2NT
Pass 3 3♠ 4
Pass Pass Dbl Pass
Pass Pass    

 

South opened with 1♣ after East passed. West overcalled 2♠ (weak, at least 6 spades). North doubled (negative double, at least four hearts). East passed. South responded 2NT, West passed. North bid 3, East 3♠. South, who might have gone for 3NT, decided to declare 4, after East supported West`s long spades. East doubled.

West led the ♠Q. How can South win ten tricks?

Dealer: South

Vul: E/W

Contract: 4 by South

Solution

South can theoretically count ten tricks –  five with hearts plus the ♠A, A and three clubs, but the declarer misses the AQ and there is little doubt that East holds them over dummy`s King`s head.

The best plan seems to try to restrict the losers to two trumps and a diamond. If East has four or five hearts, this will not be an easy task.

The declarer won the first trick with the ♠A(trick 1) and led the ♣K next. West played the ♣J (trick 2). West`s ♣J might have been a singleton, so South led next the Q to West´s King to dummy`s Ace (trick 3). This time East played theJ. Dummy`s diamonds were winners now.

But if West had a singleton ♣J and East a singletonJ, then West held the last four diamonds and East four clubs.  And if West started with six spades, West had also a singleton heart and East held four hearts.

Armed with that knowledge South led the K from dummy. East won the trick with the A (trick 4) and led the ♣6. South played a small club from hand, West discarded a diamond and dummy`s ♣7 won the trick (trick 5). South took the next trick with dummy`s ♣A (trick 6) and led the 10.

East ruffed (trick 7) and led a club to South`s ♣ Q, the declarer discarded a diamond from dummy (trick 8). South led a spade next and ruffed (trick 9) and led a heart from dummy`s hand. East won the trick with the Q (trick 10) and led the 10 to declarer`s J (trick 11). South led a spade and ruffed and won the last trick with dummy`s 9 (tricks 12, 13).

  ♠ 3  
  K7543  
  A1098  
  ♣ A72  
♠ QJ10765 Deal ♠ K92
6 AQ102
K7543 ♦  J
♣ J ♣ 109864
  ♠ A84  
  J98  
  Q62  
  ♣ KQ53  

South, who held a flat hand of 4-3-3-3 faced rather extreme distribution as both clubs and diamonds were split 5-1 and hearts 4-1. But this knowledge also paradoxically helped the declarer; South was saved by the schoolbell and forearmed with the exact knowledge of the layout of cards.

After South forced East to ruff a diamond and thus shortened East`s trumps, all the declarer had to do was to lead a heart from dummy through East`s Q10 to his own J9.

Although South won the contract of 4, West could have equally successfully played 4♠.

 

 

Par Contract Analysis

The par contract on this deal is 4 by South.

 

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