DECLARER PLAY PROBLEM #3
Rubber bridge
East dealer
East-West vulnerable
| NORTH ♠ J 5 3 ♥ Q 8 5 2 ♦ A Q J 6 ♣ A 3 |
||
| SOUTH ♠ A K 10 4 2 ♥ A 7 4 ♦ K 8 ♣ K Q 2 |
| SOUTH | WEST | NORTH | EAST |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | Pass |
| 1 ♠ | Pass | 2 ♦ | Pass |
| 3 NT | Pass | 4 ♣ | Pass |
| 5 ♣ | Pass | 5 ♠ | Pass |
| 6 ♠ | Pass | Pass | Pass |
Club six, ace, five, deuce.
Spade three, six, ace, heart nine.
Plan the play.
Solution
| NORTH ♠ J 5 3 ♥ Q 8 5 2 ♦ A Q J 6 ♣ A 3 |
||
| WEST ♠ — ♥ K J 9 6 3 ♦ 10 7 4 ♣ 10 8 7 6 4 |
EAST ♠ Q 9 8 7 6 ♥ 10 ♦ 9 5 3 2 ♣ J 9 5 | |
| SOUTH ♠ A K 10 4 2 ♥ A 7 4 ♦ K 8 ♣ K Q 2 |
THE VANISHING TRUMP TRICK. After winning the opening lead, South should cash one high trump (getting the bad news about the five-zero split). Declarer must not lead a second spade, which would automatically lead to the loss of two trump tricks. The only chance is to find East with a very favorable distribution in the side suits. South must cash the ace of hearts and the rest of the clubs, then four diamond tricks to discard two low hearts from his hand, and now lead a heart from dummy. East, down to all trumps, must ruff this heart lead; declarer can make the contract by undertrumping. East must then lead from the queen-nine-eight of spades, while South has king-ten-four and dummy the jack-five. East's potential second spade trick vanishes into thin air.
(Based on a deal and analysis from the 1963 National Industrial Recreation Association Par-Hand Bridge Tournament by William S. Root and Lawrence Rosler.)
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