Test Your Play

What a revolting development. It’s not over yet, however. If East has one of several distributions (six minor-suit cards including at least three clubs ) you can still survive.
Ruff a heart and play the ♣A K Q discarding a diamond from the table. (You can’t make the contract if East has only two clubs). Assuming both have followed, if you judge that East has the remaining club, play a fourth club and discard a second diamond from the table and now the ♦A and ruff a diamond low. If you judge that West has the remaining club, play the ♦A K and ruff your remaining high diamond low. In either case, assuming you have done it right, this is the four-card ending you have reached, the lead in dummy:

(The question marks indicate that you have either the ♦Q or the ♣J in the ending, not both.)

Lead a heart. If East ruffs low, overruff with the 8, ruff your odd card with the jack and take the last two tricks with the ♠A K.

If East ruffs with the 9 or 10, overuff with the king, ruff your odd card with the ♠J, and take the last two tricks with the ♠A 8 hovering delightfully over East’s ♠10 6.

The key is to start with clubs before diamonds.

Thanks to Scott Cardell, Pullman WA, for this construction.

The bidding makes the ♦3 look very much like a singleton. If you win and lead a club and East has the likely ace, he can win and lead a heart to West. If West reads the position and leads a second diamond rather than a second heart, down you go. Can you do anything about this? Perhaps.

Your first move should be to play the ♦4 at trick one, concealing the 2 (assuming they play standard signaling methods), and then the ♠A K and a spade. If East has ♠Q x x and fails to unblock, pitch a heart on the third spade cutting their lines of communication. Discarding a heart on the third spade might also work if East has something like ♠J 10 x and fails to unblock. West, holding a presumed Q–x–x–x, has to overtake setting up the ♠9 in dummy as a winner, and lead a diamond to defeat the contract. He may not be that smart. On the actual lie, East must unblock the ♠Q to defeat the contract and West must win the third spade and lead a diamond.

Notice that if West leads a heart on the get go, the contract can be made by eventually squeezing West in diamonds and spades (after ruffing a spade to isolate the spade menace with West) or even taking the double diamond finesse. If you decide to drive out the ♣A immediately, East will surely win and lead a heart hoping (praying) West will win and lead a second diamond, not a second heart. If you were East, which heart would you lead to help partner out? Now check with your favorite partner to see if you have matching answers.