The Plan XXXI by Tim Bourke

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
	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
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
	K Q 10 8 7  9 5  K J  A 8 7 2

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