Mystery #2

More Than Meets The Eye

Question

This problem was announced in The Bridge Journal in 1965.

Question 2: Can you give any interpretation of the notation, fully reproduced below (from a literal scrap of paper discovered by Jeff Rubens when he cleaned out a file—it was in his own "handwriting"), to take all the essential points into account.

"More than meets the eye.

	NORTH ♠ x x x ♥ K x x ♦ K 10 x x x ♣ A x
	SOUTH ♠ K Q J 10 ♥ A x x ♦ x x ♣ x x x x

Rubber bridge.
Neither side vulnerable
Each side 60 on score.

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

Trump led. Duck diamond when queen appears (because trump entry used at key time). Note best defense."

Solution

Solution from N. Scott Cardell, Pullman, WA:

	NORTH ♠ x x x ♥ K x x ♦ K 10 x x x ♣ A x
WEST ♠ A 8 x x ♥ Q 10 ♦ A Q ♣ K Q J 9 x		EAST ♠ 9 7 ♥ J 9 x x x ♦ J 9 x x ♣ 10 x
	SOUTH ♠ K Q J 10 ♥ A x x ♦ x x ♣ x x x x

South wins the trump lead and plays a diamond to West's ace. West shifts to the king of clubs, ducked, then (waiting to take the spade ace until declarer has used up one of the high heart honors) leads the queen of hearts. (West's trying a low trump or the ace of trump does no better.) Declarer wins the heart ace and leads a trump; West now plays ace and another spade to kill the club ruff. Declarer draws the last trump (throwing a diamond from dummy), then leads a diamond and lets West hold the queen--if dummy takes that trick, East can escape the threatened endplay. Then, whether West returns a heart or a club, East falls victim to a strip-squeeze in the red suits to give declarer his eighth trick.

The best defense is for West to play a heart at trick three, after which the defense can always defeat the contract.

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