With Bob Jones
North-South vulnerable. East deals.
NORTH
S-K 5 3
H-8 7 6 3
D-Q 2
C-Q 10 9 5
WEST EAST
S-Q 2 S-J 10 9
H-10 2 H-A K J 9 5 4
D-10 8 7 6 5 3 D-A J
C-8 7 6 C-4 2
SOUTH
S-A 8 7 6 4
H-Q
D-K 9 4
C-A K J 3
The bidding:
EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH
1H 1S Pass 2S
3H 4S Pass Pass
Pass
Opening lead: 10 of H
Study the hand above and decide — would you rather play or defend four spades?
Should South try for a diamond ruff in the dummy, East will win his ace and play a third round of hearts, promoting a second trump trick for the defense. That won’t work. Is there anything else?
Yes! We choose to play! After ruffing the second heart, South cashes the ace and king of trumps before leading a low diamond away from the board’s queen. Should East rise with the ace and draw dummy’s trump, South is home with four trumps, four clubs and two diamonds. East must duck. Declarer wins the king, then plays ace, king and jack of clubs, overtaking with dummy’s queen. East can ruff, but dummy will then get a diamond ruff. Instead, East must discard a heart.
South ruffs a heart in hand and leads his last club to dummy’s 10. East has the same dilemma and must again discard a heart. South ruffs dummy’s last heart with his last trump and has 10 tricks — five trumps, four clubs and one diamond. Well played!
Had West held the third trump, this line would still work. West would be able to overruff one of South’s heart ruffs, but dummy would then score a diamond ruff. This contract is cold on a 3-2 trump split as long as East has the ace of diamonds — a certainty on the auction.
(Bob Jones welcome readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency, LLC., 16650 Westgrove Dr., Suite 175, Addison, TX 75001. E-mail responses may be sent to
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