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THE BRIDGE WORLD

DECLARER PLAY PROBLEM #28

Rubber bridge
South dealer
Both sides vulnerable

NORTH
10 4 2
K 3
8 7 5 4 2
K 10 2
SOUTH
A K 7 6 5 3
A 9
A
A Q 6 5
SOUTHWESTNORTHEAST
2 Pass2 Pass
2 Pass3 Pass
4 Pass5 Pass
6 PassPassPass

Heart queen, three, deuce, ace.
Spade ace, eight, deuce, heart four.

Plan the play.

Solution

NORTH
10 4 2
K 3
8 7 5 4 2
K 10 2
WEST
Q J 9 8
Q J
K J 9 6
J 7 4
EAST

10 8 7 6 5 4 2
Q 10 3
9 8 3
SOUTH
A K 7 6 5 3
A 9
A
A Q 6 5

NEVER SAY DIE. Though the contract seems hopeless when East shows out on the first spade, South can succeed by stripping the West hand down to three spades, then leading a plain-suit card in a suit in which dummy is void. West will have to ruff with an honor to shut out dummy's spade ten, after which West will be endplayed.

South's plain-suit card in the ending can only be a club. Therefore, only three clubs can be stripped from the West hand, which must therefore be distributed exactly 4=2=4=3 for the contract to succeed. To get the extra entry needed to ruff away all of West's diamonds, declarer must risk finessing the club ten. The complete play should be: heart ace, spade ace, diamond ace, club to the ten, diamond ruff, club ace, club king, diamond ruff, heart king, diamond ruff, club.

(Based on a deal and analysis from the 1964 National Industrial Recreation Association Par-Hand Bridge Tournament by William S. Root and Lawrence Rosler.)

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