DEFENSIVE PROBLEM #22

Rubber bridge
East dealer
Neither side vulnerable

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

SOUTH	WEST	NORTH	EAST
—	—	—	Pass
Pass	Pass	2 NT	Pass
3 ♥*	Pass	4 ♥	(All Pass)

* natural

West leads the diamond nine; dummy plays the four.

Plan your defense.

Solution

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

WHERE THERE'S A WILL. There is no chance to defeat the contract unless West has the ace of spades. In that case, the defense can either cash two spade tricks or use spades to force trumps out of declarer's hand, perhaps producing a trump trick for East through extra length. When South has a singleton spade, a spade to West's ace and a spade back will force out one trump, but will also leave a third-round spade stopper in dummy. East should win the king of diamonds and shift to the king of spades at trick two. Then, a second round of spades will force out a trump while leaving the defense in charge of the third round of spades. Later, when East wins the heart ace, a third spade will promote an extra trump trick for the defense.

(Based on a deal and analysis from the 1964 National Intercollegiate Bridge Tournament by William S. Root and Lawrence Rosler.)

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