DECLARER PLAY PROBLEM #33

Rubber bridge
South dealer
North-South vulnerable

	NORTH ♠ A K J 9 ♥ 10 7 ♦ K Q 9 8 ♣ A K 2
	SOUTH ♠ Q 6 5 3 ♥ Q 8 ♦ A 7 5 2 ♣ 10 4 3

SOUTH	WEST	NORTH	EAST
Pass	Pass	1 ♦	Pass
1 ♠	Pass	4 ♠	Pass
Pass	Pass

West leads the heart four. East wins the heart king and ace (West follows with the three), and leads the spade seven.

Plan the play.

Solution

	NORTH ♠ A K J 9 ♥ 10 7 ♦ K Q 9 8 ♣ A K 2
WEST ♠ 10 4 2 ♥ J 6 5 4 3 ♦ 4 ♣ J 9 8 7		EAST ♠ 8 7 ♥ A K 9 2 ♦ J 10 6 3 ♣ Q 6 5
	SOUTH ♠ Q 6 5 3 ♥ Q 8 ♦ A 7 5 2 ♣ 10 4 3

INSURE YOUR DIAMONDS. South, who must lose two hearts and one club, needs to avoid a diamond loser to make the contract. When three rounds pull all the trumps, the contract is laydown, no matter how diamonds split. Declarer should cash one diamond honor in dummy, then play ace, king and another club. There is no problem if diamonds break three-two; suppose diamonds break four-one or five-zero. If an opponent without any diamonds wins the third club, South gets a sluff-ruff; if an opponent with long diamonds wins the third club, the return must yield all of the diamond tricks or give a sluff-ruff.

(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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