Using the Clues

Dlr:
South
Vul:
N-S
North
♠ K 5
A 8 6 5
7 6 4
♣ 8 6 5 4
South
♠ A 9 7 6 4 2
K 4
A K 8 3
♣ A
West North East South
1♣
2NT Pass 3♣ Dbl
Pass 4♣ Pass 4♠
All Pass

West’s overcall was the Unusual Notrump, promising at least 5-5 in the minors. Your double showed a strong hand and partner’s 4♣ was a “choice-of-games” cuebid. You stuck with your long suit. West starts with the ♣K. You will win the trick, of course. What is your plan for securing another nine tricks after that?

Click for Solution

After winning the opening lead, declarer noted that, as there were five trumps and seven hearts outstanding, it was more likely that West had begun with a singleton trump rather than any other holding in that suit. If that were the case, declarer saw that he would have two likely losers in trumps and diamonds. Eventually, he found the answer to this problem: He should try to ruff a low fourth diamond in dummy.

At trick two, declarer crossed to dummy with a low trump to the king and led a diamond. East saw that if he ruffed this card, he would be wasting a trump trick by ruffing a loser, so he discarded a heart. Declarer won the trick with the A then led a low heart to the ace to play another diamond. Again, East saw the futility of ruffing, so he discarded a second heart instead. Declarer continued with a third round of diamonds, putting West on lead. Declarer ruffed the club continuation and led his last diamond. When this was ruffed with dummy’s ♠5, the defense was helpless. All the defenders could make were two trumps and a diamond. The full deal:

Dlr:
South
Vul:
N-S
North
♠ K 5
A 8 6 5
7 6 4
♣ 8 6 5 4
West
♠ 3
J
Q J 10 9 5 2
♣ K Q J 9 2
East
♠ Q J 10 8
Q 10 9 7 3 2
♣ 10 7 3
South
♠ A 9 7 6 4 2
K 4
A K 8 3
♣ A

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