Answer to

Hand of the week commencing Sunday 15th  April 2007  

 

 West leads §2 plan your play . 

 

 

 

 

ª

A Q J 10 6 3

 

 

 

Dealer South

©

A 7 4

 

 

 

Both Vul

¨

 K

 

 

 

 

§

 J 9 6

 

 

 

 

 

N

 

 

ª

5 4 2

 

 

ª

K 9 7

©

10 9 6 5 2

 

W                          E

©

K Q J

¨

J 9 8 5

 

 

¨

6 4 3 2

§

2

 

 

§

7 5 3

 

 

 

S

 

 

 

 

ª

8

 

 

 

 

©

8 3

 

 

 

 

¨

A Q  10 7

 

 

 

 

§

A K Q 10 8 4

 

 

W

N

E

S

 

 

 

 

1§

 

NO

1ª

NO

2¨

 

NO

2©

NO

4§

 

NO

4NT

NO

5¨

 

NO

5©

NO

6¨

 

NO

7§

NO

NO

 

NO

 

 

 

 

 

 This hand is very easy unless you are a finessing merchant. An initial count gives you a tally of 11 winners – 1 Spade, 1 Heart, 3 Diamonds and 6 trumps.

The extra could come from finessing the Spades which offer extremely poor odds of 50%. However as long as the diamonds break no worse than 53  (almost 80%) it will be better to get the extras from ruffing 1 Diamond and 1 Heart in the short hand (North).

After winning the first trick in hand play a diamond to dummy’s king. Cash the Heart Ace so it will not block you later. Return to hand via Ace and another Spade being ruffed. Now cash two winning Diamonds chucking away dummy’s losing Hearts. Now it is just a matter of ruffing high the remaining 8 tricks. An 80% chance is surely better than a 50% chance !!  You have won 1 Spade, 1 Heart, 3 Diamonds, 6 natural trumps in Hand and 1 Heart and 1 Diamond ruffed in dummy.

 

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