Double three-suiter endplay By Krzysztof Jassem (Poland)

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Source: IBPA Bulletins

Andrzej Wilkosz
Andrzej Wilkosz

We tend to see an endplay as a two-suited affair: one suit is needed to throw a poor guy in and the other is the one that he is forced to exit with, giving a trick away. Andrzej Wilkosz of the Polish Seniors executed a double three-suiter endplay. This means that three suits were involved in the endplay and that the endplay was executed twice rather than once! Here is the board from the Senior Final:

Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul.

   A 5 3
  A K 8
 10 9 6
 A 10 9 2
 
 J 9 7 6
 Q 9 7 4
 A Q J 3
 6
   8 4
 10 5
 8 4 2
 K Q J 8 4 3
  K Q 10 2
  J 6 3 2
K 7 5
 7 5
 
West North East South
Roudinesco  Wilkosz  Delmouly  Szenberg
 Pass  1NT  Pass  2
 Pass  2  Pass  3NT

After this simple auction, Delmouly started with K. Wilkosz ducked the first trick and East, not surprisingly, continued with a second club honour. This meant the end of the defence for the French pair. Wilkosz played back a club, discarding a heart from dummy (meanwhile West had got rid of a heart and a diamond). Delmouly tried to help partner at the fourth trick by playing a diamond. Wilkosz played low from dummy and when West won with the jack he was endplayed in three suits for the first time. He chose to underlead Q, Wilkosz winning with dummy’s jack. Next he cashed his top hearts, reaching:

   A 5 3

 10 9
 9
 
 J 9 7 6

 A Q
   8 4

 8 4
 8 4 
  K Q 10 2

K 7
 
 

On the last club, Wilkosz discarded 7 from the dummy, baring the king. Roudinesco threw away Q. Wilkosz tested spades and only when the jack did not show played a diamond. West was end-played for the second time to give the ninth trick in the spade suit. Thanks to the double endplay in three suits Wilkosz managed to come to nine tricks, having started with only seven.

Let us notice that playing a spade instead of a heart after being thrown in J would not have helped the defence. In the four-card ending West would have been thrown in with the ace of diamonds and forced to concede three heart tricks.

At the other table the same contract went one down for a swing of 12 IMPs.