Hand of the week commencing
Sunday 2nd March 2008
|
Dealer
South North
South Vulnerable |
ª |
K
10 6 4
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© |
A
2 |
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¨ |
8
5 4 |
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§ |
A
8 6 5 |
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N |
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ª |
2
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|
ª |
9
7 5 |
|
© |
K
Q J 9 7 3 |
|
W
E |
© |
10
6 5 |
|
¨ |
K
J 7 |
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¨ |
9
6 2 |
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§ |
10
3 2 |
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§ |
J
9 7 4 |
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S |
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ª |
A
Q J 8 3 |
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Lead
©K |
© |
8
4 |
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¨ |
A
Q 10 3 |
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§ |
K
Q |
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W |
N |
E |
S |
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1ª |
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2© |
3©* |
NO |
4§**
* forcing and fit in Spades |
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NO |
4©** |
NO |
4NT
** all cuebids |
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|
NO |
5§** |
NO |
6ª |
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NO |
NO |
NO |
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Plan
your play in 6ª
after the lead of the ©K.
The
first trick is taken with dummy’s Ace. After cashing the ace of trumps, South
can count ten top tricks. If East had one of the diamond honours, a double
finesse in diamonds would produce an eleventh trick and the twelfth would be a
diamond ruff in dummy.
But
before any play on diamonds is made, South has to shed the heart loser. So
firstly cash two club winners (unblocking them) before crossing to dummy with a
trump to the ten, West discarding a heart. After throwing the heart loser on the
ace of clubs, declarer has an extra chance if West has the king of diamonds for
the overcall. Now ruff a heart, eliminating both black suits from the West hand.
Now lead the queen of diamonds. West will this with the king but now has to
either concede a ruff and discard or lead into declarer’s ace-ten tenace in
diamonds. (NB This ensures declarer avoids a second diamond loser and make the
slam). Now draw last trump before anything untoward happens and claim..
What
would have happened if West had produced a fourth club? South would ruff, cross
to dummy with a trump (you had not drawn the last one early since you might have
needed an extra trump entry) and finesse East for the jack of diamonds. If that
is the case, a diamond ruff would be the twelfth trick.