DEFENSIVE PROBLEM #10

North dealer
East-West vulnerable

	NORTH (dummy) ♠ J ♥ A 9 5 ♦ Q J 10 9 7 ♣ A K 6 2
		EAST (you) ♠ A Q 3 ♥ J 8 6 3 2 ♦ 4 3 ♣ 8 7 5

SOUTH	WEST	NORTH	EAST
—	—	1 ♦	Pass
1 ♠	Pass	2 ♣	Pass
2 NT	Pass	3 NT	Pass
Pass	Pass

West leads the four of spades.

Plan your defense.

Solution

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

SAVE THE ACE. If East plays the ace of spades at trick one, depriving the defense of a later entry to play a spade through South, declarer can make the contract no matter how the subsequent defense goes. However, if East plays his queen of spades at trick one, the defense is in control. If South ducks, the continuation of the ace and another spade will set up four tricks for the defense while it still has a diamond entry. Alternatively, if South wins the king of spades on trick one, West will eventually get the lead with the king of diamonds and be able to run four spade tricks, using the spade ace as a critical entry for a lead trough the spade nine.

(Based on a deal and analysis from the 1963 National Intercollegiate Bridge Par-Deal Tournament by William S. Root and Lawrence Rosler.)

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