Mixed Standard

Pages: Page 5 of 5

Dealer: North
Vuln: Love All
Scoring: IMPs
  1. spadeJ 7
  2. heartK 10 5 4 3
  3. diamondK
  4. clubK Q 10 6 4
  1. spadeQ
  2. heartQ 8 7 6
  3. diamond10 8 6 2
  4. clubA J 8 2
club diamond heart spade NT
N 3 - 3 5 -
S 3 - 3 5 -
E - 2 - - -
W - 2 - - -
Green square in centre
  1. spadeK 4
  2. heartJ 9
  3. diamondQ J 9 7 5 4 3
  4. club5 3

Contract: 6spade
Declarer: South
Lead: clubA
  1. spadeA 10 9 8 6 5 3 2
  2. heartA 2
  3. diamondA
  4. club9 7
Double dummy analyser: makeable contracts
West North East South
1spade 3diamond* 3spade
Pass 4club Pass 4diamond
Pass 4spade Pass 6spade
Pass Pass Pass

* Weak

Well, if you hated North-Souths' bidding you would have been fully justified. The slam is dreadful, but no less than 74 declarers managed to glean 12 tricks and two took all thirteen!!??!! (I still cannot understand how)

The usual way in which South brought home the bacon was to cross over to heartK and lead spadeJ, which allowed East to disgrace himself.

Michael Courtney, the brilliant Australian who plays a lot of rubber bridge in London, made 6spade by a different route. After clubA and a diamond switch, he tried the effect of playing off clubKQ. East ruffed in with the spade4. You can guess the rest.

As for West's lead problem - you can see what works best - spadeQ - and one defender duly found it!!
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