Bookworm Bridge Conundrums #41
This conundrum was written by Barbara Seagram's and was originally published in ...
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.
Contract: 5♦
Opening Lead: ♥K
West leads the ♥K and continues with the three, which forces declarer to ruff. A couple of rounds of diamonds then reveal the rather surprising split: the hand long in hearts holds trump length as well. Prospects appear somewhat bleak at this point. If East turns up with the ♠Q or the ♣J, it will come down in one or two rounds, and you will have a choice of ways to succeed. In that case you can surely afford to have a top card ruffed since a squeeze on West in the black suits will recover the winner lost. However, you hardly want to count on this possibility. Given the absence of a lead-directing double, East most likely has a small singleton in both clubs and spades.
Once West shows out on the second round of trumps, two issues present themselves. Firstly, you need to find a safe route to the South hand to pull the last trump. Secondly, you must leave open the chance to restrict your losses in the black suits to one by means of an endplay or squeeze on West.
You can play a third round of trumps, come to hand with the ♣K and draw the outstanding trump. The snag is that West can afford to come down to three clubs because you lack a way to get back to the long club. You can throw a heart from dummy and cash the ace-queen of clubs to eliminate the suit, but where do you go from there? If West started with ♠Q-10-9-8-6 or has pitched the three from ♠Q-10-9-8-3, you could duck a spade. However, that does not work today and nor would cashing the ♠A first: West wins the second spade cheaply and returns the ♠Q. The solution for Trick 5 is to overtake the ♣Q with the king! The trick soon comes back. Here is the position as you lead the ♦J:
You discard a heart from dummy and, if West has thrown a club, play a spade to the ace (in case of a bare ♠Q) and two rounds of clubs. The defender must lead a spade into the split tenace, allowing both your ♠J and long club to score. A spade discard produces a similar result. Three rounds of the suit set up the fourth spade and force West to concede a trick to your ♣10.
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.
