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Copyright © 1996-
2013 Bridge World
Magazine, Inc. |
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Test Your Play is an advanced-level declarer-play quiz.
Rubber bridge
South dealer
East-West vulnerable
| NORTH
 8 2
 7 6 5 2
 K Q
 A K 8 7 5 |
| |
|
| SOUTH
A K J 10 9
A
J 10 9 8 7
3 2 |
| SOUTH | WEST | NORTH | EAST |
| 1 | Pass | 2 | Pass |
| 2 | Pass | 2 | Pass |
| 2 | Pass | 3 | Pass |
| 4 | Pass | Pass | Pass |
West leads the heart jack.
Plan the play.
(Solution below.)
* * *
Solution
| NORTH
8 2
7 6 5 2
K Q
A K 8 7 5 |
WEST
Q 6 5 4
J 10 4 3
3
Q 9 6 4 | |
EAST
7 3
K Q 9 8
A 6 5 4 2
J 10 |
| SOUTH
A K J 10 9
A
J 10 9 8 7
3 2 |
Four spades by South
Lead: Heart jack
If your diamonds were not blocked, the correct play would
be to win the heart ace, cash the ace-king of spades, then knock out
the ace of diamonds, never leading trumps again. Assuming trumps were
three-three or one opponent had four to the queen, you would lose
two trump tricks and one diamond. (Taking a spade finesse, or leading
a third round of trumps, would risk losing control against a four-two
trump break, because the opponents would have an additional lead value
with which to force a trump out of the closed hand.)
However, with the blockage in diamonds, that play is not
good enough to prevail against all four-two trump breaks. For example,
suppose the cards are distributed as in the diagram. If the play begins
heart ace, spade ace-king, diamond to the ace, heart, you have to
play off the high diamond in dummy; this requires you to force the
closed hand an extra time.
Instead, you must play diamonds early, after one round of
trumps, running the risk of a diamond ruff (but losing only when that
ruff comes with a short trump holding). After diamonds are unblocked,
you can use the second trump honor to return to the closed hand to
continue diamonds.
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