Answer to

Hand of the week commencing Sunday 22nd July 2007  

 

    West leads the ¨4. Plan your play in 4ª.

 

 

Dealer North

ª

 Q 9 8 2

 

 

 

Both Vulnerable

©

A K 8 6 5

 

 

 

 

¨

K 9

 

 

 

 

§

 A 9

 

 

 

 

 

N

 

 

ª

 

 

 

ª

 K J 4

©

Q 3

 

W                          E

©

 J 9 4

¨

10 8 6 5 4 3

 

 

¨

A J 7 2

§

Q 8 6 5 3

 

 

§

K J 4

 

 

 

S

 

 

 

 

ª

A 10 7 6 5 3

 

 

 

 

©

10 7 2

 

 

 

 

¨

Q

 

 

 

 

§

10 7 2

 

 

W

N

E

S

 

 

 1©

NO

1ª

 

NO

3ª

NO

4ª

 

NO

NO

NO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What could go wrong here? On the surface you have 4 losers :- 1 spade, 1 heart 1 Diamond and 1 Club. The Heart loser will be thrown on dummy’s Diamond King. So all that needs to be considered is how to play the Trump suit for no more than one loser. If the trumps break 21 you will never have a problem. If the trumps break 30 then you need to guard against them all being with East. It would be fatal and careless to cash the trump Ace at trick three after winning the club return. (Now you have two losers) After East switches to a club at trick 2 play a small trump off  table and when East smoothly plays the 4 insert your 10. If you do not do this you will lose two trump tricks which is extremely painful. If East shows out you merely go up with the Ace and can now finesse against West. By the end of the hand, you should make 5 trumps, 2 Hearts, 1 Diamond and 1 Club and 1 Club ruffed in dummy (the short hand)