DECLARER PLAY PROBLEM #34

Rubber bridge
South dealer
North-South vulnerable

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

SOUTH	WEST	NORTH	EAST
1 ♥	Pass	1 NT	Pass
3 ♥	Pass	4 ♥	Pass
Pass	Pass

West leads the diamond queen.

Plan the play.

Solution

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

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT. The contract is in the bag if South can hold his heart losers to one. Declarer's plan should be to finesse twice through East, but the first lead from dummy should be the three, not the ten, in case East has a singleton honor. When the heart queen shows up, the rest is routine.

(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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