Hand of the day #557
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This conundrum was written by Eddie Kantar and was originally published in the book Take All Your Chances - you can find out all about it further down the page.
After you open 1♥ and partner responds 2NT, Jacoby, you show your singleton club and partner bids 3♦. You bid 4NT, Keycard Blackwood, and land in 6♥. The opening lead is the ♣Q. Hearts are 1-1. Plan the play.
You have a certain diamond loser and a possible spade loser. When dealing with losers in two suits, it is almost always right to start with the longer combined suit providing the suit is unevenly divided. Given that your diamonds are 4-3, you may be able to develop an extra diamond trick if their diamonds are divided 3-3. That extra diamond winner can be used to discard a spade from dummy, thus avoiding the spade finesse.
Win the ♣A, ruff a club high in hand, cross to a trump, ruff dummy’s last club and play the ♦A and a low diamond. If East follows with the lowest outstanding diamond, play low ducking the trick to West. If West started with a doubleton diamond he will have no safe exit and no spade finesse will be necessary. If West has a diamond exit and diamonds are 4-2, you will need the spade finesse.
If East doesn’t play the lowest missing diamond, win the ♦K and exit a diamond hoping they are 3-3 (36%). If you get lucky, you will be able to discard a spade from dummy on your fourth diamond. However, if diamonds are 4-2 (48%), close your eyes and take the spade finesse. Sometimes finesses work. You have a 68% chance of landing this contract by giving yourself two chances.
The normal way to play this combination is to duck a diamond and then play the ♦AK, which allows you to retain control of the suit when the suit breaks 4-2. However, you can’t afford to do that here. If you duck a diamond and East wins and returns a spade, you have more or less painted yourself into a corner. You still don’t know whether to take the spade finesse or gamble on the diamonds being 3-3. Why put yourself in such a predicament? You must discover how the diamonds break immediately, before East can play a spade through you.
The West hand: ♠K876 ♥2 ♦J8 ♣QJ8632
The East hand: ♠JT952 ♥7 ♦QT73 ♣KT9
Selecting the best line of play in a bridge hand as declarer is not easy. Most novices know something about basic odds and percentages, and can often find a line that offers a reasonable chance of success. However, the expert will skillfully combine options, so as to take advantage of more than chance. Rather than putting all his eggs in one basket, he will 'stay alive', squeezing out every extra chance. In this book of intermediate problems, Kantar shows the reader how to do this — there is always a line of play that will allow you take all your chances, and bring home your contract.
