IBPA Column Service example 837
The auction was the same at bouth tables in a team game. Each West began with the three top hearts, both declarers ruffed the third heart, then cashed the ace and king of trump. Thereafter their paths diverged.
Dealer West. E/W Vul.
 A J 9 5 8 3 2 A Q Q 10 5 4 |
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| K Q 10 8 7 9 5 K J A 8 7 2 |
The Auction:
| West | North | East | South |
| 1 |
Double | Pass | 4 |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
This first declarer correctly placed the K with West, so he played the A and another club. After West followed with the three and nine of club, this declarer played dummy’s queen because this would make the contract whenever clubs were 3-2. Alas, East threw a diamond and so West made two club tricks to defeat the contract.
At the other table, the declarer found the 100% line to make his contract as long as West, as expected, held the king of clubs. After drawing trumps, since they were 2-2, declarer continued by cashing the ace and king of diamonds.
He then led a low club from hand. When West followed with the three, declarer played dummy’s Q. When it held, he returned to hand with a trump to lead a second low club.
West played his J but was now endplayed, forced either to concede a ruff-and-discard or to lead away from his K. No matter which option West chose, declarer would have made ten tricks, as he would have done even had West held a singleton club king or East a singleton club jack.
The four hands:
| A J 9 5 8 3 2 A Q Q 10 5 4 |
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| 6 2 A K Q 10 6 8 5 K J 9 3 |
4 3 J 7 4 10 9 7 6 4 3 2 6 |
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| K Q 10 8 7 9 5 K J A 8 7 2 |