Hand of the day #641
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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: ♥8
Having won the first heart with the king, East can read the ♥Q as a singleton. South’s advance to 5♦ (and takeout double) would seem dubious actions with two losing hearts. Since the weak dummy and its singleton spade telegraphs the threat of spade ruffs, East may switch to the ♦2, South’s ace winning.
Declarer may go on to take the ♠A, ruff a spade, return to the ♣A, ruff a spade, ruff a heart and ruff another spade. Nobody overruffs, but East can win the next club and play a heart to promote West’s ♦Q. Rather than aim for three spade ruffs, perhaps one could hope to find the ♣K onside, in which case a lead up to the ♣Q produces a trick. As the cards lie, this works no better. The queen falls victim to the king and once more a trump promotion seals the contract’s fate. Can either side improve on the above?
You can make 5♦ on a trump switch. Follow the black aces with spade ruffs and exit from dummy with the ♣Q. East wins and can neither draw dummy’s last trump nor play a heart to much effect. Declarer ruffs the heart, takes a third spade ruff, and ruffs a club. The ♦A drops the queen, leaving South’s remaining cards high.
A slight change to the above timing proves equally effective: lead the ♣Q and duck after taking just one spade ruff. Even so, the contract should fail. East needs to foresee this avoidance play in clubs and concentrate on promoting West’s ♦Q.
What can you do on a heart return at Trick 2? You can take the ♠A, ruff a spade and try a club towards the nine. However, the ten comes up, forcing the ace. You ruff another spade, but East pops up with the ♣K to play a third round of hearts to promote West’s ♦Q. If instead you draw trumps and ruff a spade in dummy, East discards a club and then unblocks the ♠Q on the second spade to avoid being thrown in with it on the third. Again you finish a trick short.
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.
