Toledo Blade – 15 Abr 2001 by Gene Benedict
The experienced declarer has a bag full of tricks to use when he gets into a tough spot. The following hand came up in the Life Master Pairs, which was held recently at the Nationals in Kansas City. The dealer was East, North-South were vulnerable at matchpoint scoring.
* 2 clubs showed a one suited hand
** 2 Hearts was a transfer to spades.
***Double showed scattered values in case partner wanted to compete further.
Opening lead was the four of diamonds.
South played the queen of diamonds from dummy at trick one, which was covered by the ace and ruffed with the two of hearts. The percentage play in hearts to pick up the suit for one loser was to finesse twice, but South lacked the entries to dummy to do this. South led a small spade at trick two to dummy’s jack and East’s queen.
Thinking that South was going to ruff spades in dummy, East shifted to the five of hearts. South finessed the ten, and West won the queen. When West returned a trump, South pulled trump and cashed the ace of spades. South was not out of the woods yet.
South led the ten of clubs, which was ducked to East’s king. South had ten tricks at this point. Suppose West had covered the ten of clubs with the jack. South would have won the ace of clubs and returned a club. East would have won the king, but he would have had to return a diamond.
South would have unblocked the nine of clubs on dummy’s king of diamonds, and the club suit would have been established for spade pitches. If you have a trump suit such as Q-8-3 opposite K-I0-9-6-2, it is also best to try to get the opponents to lead trump.