|
♠ J74
♥
A9765
♦
92
♣ AKJ |
|
♠ Q532
♥
K832
♦
Q4
♣ QT2 |
Dummy
West East
Declarer |
♠ AKT986
♥
Q4
♦
KT753
♣ |
|
♠
♥
JT
♦
AJ86
♣ 9876543 |
|
It’s OK to play one trump, so
Declarer leads a Club to Dummy’s Ace at Trick 2, and then the play continues:
Spade ruff; ♥J
losing to East’s Queen; Diamond shift won by the Ace;
♥T
is run around; Club to Dummy;
♥A
is cashed (pitching a Diamond); Heart ruff; Club back to the board. Now another
Diamond is pitched on the long Heart and Declarer has her 11 tricks (7 trumps, 3
Hearts and the ♦A).
Not a difficult hand for those who didn’t use up Dummy’s trumps before tackling
Hearts.
Yes, Declarer could have played
the Hearts differently, by taking the losing finesse on the first round, and
then cashing the Ace on the second round, hoping that the suit is 3-3 (or that
East has KQ doubleton). That wouldn’t have worked on the actual deal, and looks
like an inferior line to us, better to play for split honors, we think.
Anyone for 4♠? How would you
play that contract?
►
Yes, that’s another contract
where it doesn’t pay to draw trumps immediately. In this case it is the
Diamonds which must be established early, and Declarer goes down if he ruffs the
opening Club lead and then draws three rounds of trumps. Instead the play goes:
Club ruff; ♠A; Diamond to the Queen; Heart to the Queen; lose a Diamond. Now
Declarer is in control and loses just two red Aces and a Diamond overruff.
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