Reading the Cards by Frank Stewart

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The Tuscaloosa News – Dec 16, 2006

Here’s an easy card-reading problem to end the week. aa

As South, you compete to three hearts after North opens one diamond in fourth seat and East-West bid and raise spades.

Everyone passes and after West’s ace of spades wins the first trick, he leads a low spade East takes the queen and shifts to a low club.

You put up your king hopefully but West takes the ace and queen and leads a third club to East’s jack. You ruff and draw trumps with the ace, king and queen, finding that East had three trumps.

What is your next play?

HIGH CARDS

West who didnt open the bidding in third seat has shown 10 points so far: ace of spades and A-Q of clubs. Hence he can’t hold the king of diamonds.

You should lead a diamond to the ace, and as it happens, East’s king falls, letting you take nine tricks.

If you think experts are infallible. you can take heart from this deal. In an Olympiad match a few years ago, a declarer forgot to count to 13 and took the diamond finesse!