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 |
| SOUTH | WEST | NORTH | EAST |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 ♣ | Pass | 2 ♦ | Pass |
| 2 ♠ | Pass | 3 ♠ | Pass |
| 4 ♣ | Pass | 5 ♣ | Pass |
| 6 ♠ | Pass | Pass | Pass |
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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