The Lewiston Daily Sun – 9 Oct 1970
A bridge columnist will do anything to get a good hand.
Today’s hand was related to me by Albert Dormer while he was trying to see if his new sports car would get up to 150 miles per hour on a narrow Swedish road. It’s hard to understand Dormer’s clipped English accent at any speed. If he were any more English he’d be unable to open his mouth at all. But devotion to my readers saw me through, and the hand is here for your inspection.
“West opens the queen of spades. What do you do?”Dormer asked, after rattling off the dummy and the South hand.
I paused for a few moments, and he asked, “Are you still there?”
“I’m not sure,” I reported truthfully.
“We dropped something on that last bump, and I’m afraid it was me.”
Take your own few moments to look at the North and South hands. See if you can make sure of the slam no matter which opponent has the queen of clubs. Decide for yourself before you read on.
No Advantage
Declarer should not win the first trick in dummy with the ace or king of spades. There is no advantage in discarding a heart or two because West will later take his ace of hearts and get out safely with a heart. Then you will have to guess the location of the queen of clubs to make the slam.
Play low from Dummy at the first trick and ruff in your hand. Draw trumps with the ace and queen and then lead a low heart. If West takes his ace of hearts, you will later make separate tricks with dummy’s queen and your own king of hearts.
You will discard one of dummy’s clubs on the king of hearts, and the rest will be easy.
If West plays a low heart instead of taking his ace, you win with dummy’s queen and then discard your other two hearts on the ace and king of spades. This eliminates the heart loser, and you can afford to give up a club trick.