The Dispatch – 28 Sep 1993 by A. Sheinwold and F. Stewart
Avoiding an End Play by A. Sheinwold
It’s annoying to be end-played into giving declarer his contract, but he can’t end-play you unless you leave yourself without a safe exit.
Lead: K
After cashing the king of clubs. West led the ace and a low club.
South ruffed, took the top diamonds. ruffed a diamond and drew trumps. He next led a heart from dummy, planning to play the nine.
East did his best by putting up the jack, but South covered with the queen. West won, but had no safe exit.
A heart gives South a free finesse: a club lets South ruff in dummy and discard a heart.
SAFE LEAD
Most players would cash the second club but that natural-looking play lost by helping South eliminate West’s safe leads. Say West shifts instead to a trump at Trick Two. South wins, takes the A,K and a diamond ruff and leads the queen of clubs. West wins and leads another trump. South wins in dummy and ruffs a club, but to return to dummy for a heart lead he must use dummy’s last trump. The end play vanishes.