Avoiding an End Play II by A. Sheinwold

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Alfred Sheinwold
Alfred Sheinwold

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.aa

Lead: club suitK

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.