Hand of the day #242
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff The old-fashioned textbooks tell you to lead k...
This conundrum was written by Julian Pottage and was originally published in the book Play or Defend? 68 Hands to Test Your Bridge Skill - you can find out all about it further down the page.
South is declarer in a contract of six hearts and this, unfortunately, is the trump suit. Maybe somebody forgot Roman Keycard Blackwood!
Under what circumstances is it possible to make the slam? You may assume that any necessary entries are available, that the rest of the hand is solid, and that the defenders will not err.
You may also wish to consider whether the same goal can be achieved when the opposing cards lie differently.
Six hearts might be made if declarer can take four ruffs whilst the defenders follow suit and then has the lead in hand at Trick 11. At this point, the trump suit must look something like this:
South’s other remaining card must be in the same suit as East’s but in a different suit to North’s. Declarer leads this plain-suit card; West has to ruff high to stop dummy’s jack from scoring but is then endplayed.
Clearly, the same circumstances bring success if West has K-10-7, Q-10-8 or Q-10-7. You could also succeed if West has K-Q-10, 10-8-7 or K-Q. A final scenario is that West has K-Q-8 or K-Q-7. In this case, West would again ruff high and exit low. By playing dummy’s jack, you could make the contract, but this would have to be losing policy in the long run.
Sharpen your bridge skills with Play or Defend? by Julian Pottage, a collection of 68 hands designed to challenge your judgment and strategy. Each scenario presents a dilemma—whether to play or defend—offering insights and solutions that enhance your decision-making. Perfect for intermediate/advanced players eager to refine their techniques and deepen their understanding of the game.
The answer given doesn't seem to match the question.
To answer the question GIVEN: the South hand must be able to ruff four times while playing off side suit winners, ending with Ax of trumps and one side suit card. The West hand gets stripped of all cards except trumps. The East hand remains with Qx in trumps, and one remaining side suit card — in THE SAME SUIT as the one South has. The North hand has its two trumps and a plain card in some other suit.
Let's say that the South and East hands both have a diamond, and North has a spade.
So, now South is on lead, and leads the diamond, to which East will be forced to follow. West has a choice of plays, neither of which work:
Ruff high; the North hand discards. Now West has only trumps and must lead a trump. Dummy covers, the defense gets only one trump trick.
Ruff low; North overrruffs. Now the trumps are 2-2 and we can finish with trump ace, and a final trump on which the defense's honors crash.
This is known as a "Devil's Coup".
TIL. Thank you!
Wrong answer posted. However, if declarer is able to ruff 4 times in hand and comes down to A6 and another opposite J9 and a card in a third suit, declare can lead his side suit from hand and make
thank you, it's already updated 🙂