The Telegraph – Dec 21, 1987 by James Jacoby
Jeff Rubens co-editor of Bridge World magazine wrote an imaginative series some years ago, Called: Bridge in Muttropolis» focusing on bizarre results an a city club.
The series is also available as a book.
Suppose you were South in today’s deal and had to play in 6.
How should you proceed?
You might well win dummy’s ace of spades and ruff a spade, play a club to dummy and ruff another spade. Up to this point you would have learned that West started with eight spades.
Another club to dummy would mark West with two clubs and playing the Ace of hearts with West following would mark him with two hearts.
That would be 12 cards accounted for and now you would be confronted with the problem of playing the diamond suit to only one loser to make your slam.
The Solution: Lead a diamond from dummy and play low. West must win the singleton queen and lead a spade. That lets you ruff in dummy as you shed a diamond, and you can now finesse against East’s diamond king to make your contract.
So what, the problem?
There is also a defender’s solution to this deal. When you lead the first small diamond from dummy, East can put up his king and thwart your Plans. Although you can take your ace and jack. East’s remainIng 10,9 will eventually take the setting tricks.