A Coup to Take your Breath Away by Omar Sharif

Source: IBPA

Omar Sharif’s column in the London Observer on 6th June 1999 reports this deal:

It is not often that declarer makes a play that leaves me feeling that I still have a lot to learn about this game. However Jeff Meckstroth of the US is one of those masters of the game who occasionally produce a coup to take your breath away. With that huge hint, put yourself in his shoes as declarer on the following deal:

Cope led ace and another trump on a very informative auction, after Meckstroth had opened on very light values – some would use harsher language than that! Meckstroth could immediately form the picture of West’s hand as having four spades and six diamonds, with a probable singleton club honour (no club lead) and with the diamond honours split (no top diamond lead). At trick three he led his singleton club, won the return of the queen of spades in dummy, and advanced the queen of clubs, covered and ruffed.

This was the ending – what would you do with the sight of all four hands?

South is on lead, needing six more tricks.

As you can see, playing on diamonds does not work, East will take the trick and draw a round of trumps.

Ruffing a spade in dummy brings you to eight tricks, but not to nine.

Meckstroth found the spectacular coup of leading the 10 from hand – be honest, would you have thought of it?

If West takes the trick and leads either a spade back (a diamond is no better) declarer wins in hand pitching a diamond from dummy. He plays the ace of diamonds, ruffs a diamond, ruffs a club and leads a losing heart, to endplay East into leading a club at trick 12 into the tenace in dummy.

In fact, at this point Cope decided his best chance was to duck the ten of spades, hoping his partner had the king.

That simply let Meckstroth cash K to pitch a diamond, then take A, and ruff a diamond. Now he scored J and ruffed a club for nine tricks, and put in an entry for the best played hand of the Year.

Editor’s Note: Some months later this hand received: The IBPA 1999 Award for Best Play

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