Is It Time For Heroics

Pages: Page 5 of 5

Dealer: East
Vuln: N-S
Scoring: IMPs
  1. spade9 8 4
  2. heartK 8 6 4 3
  3. diamondQ 5
  4. club9 8 4
  1. spadeK Q J 7 6 5
  2. heart10 9
  3. diamondA K J
  4. clubK 5
club diamond heart spade NT
N - - - - -
S - - - - -
E 5 7 4 7 7
W 5 7 4 7 7
Green square in centre
  1. spadeA 2
  2. heartA J 5
  3. diamond10 9 7 2
  4. clubA J 10 7

Contract: 7spade
Declarer: West
Lead: spade4
  1. spade10 3
  2. heartQ 7 2
  3. diamond8 6 4 3
  4. clubQ 6 3 2
Double dummy analyser: makeable contracts
West North East South
1diamond Pass
1spade Pass 1NT* Pass
2club~ Pass 2NT# Pass
3spade Pass 4club Pass
4diamond Pass 4heart Pass
4NT Pass 5club! Pass
7spade End

* 11-15
~ tell me more
# 14-15, 2 spades
! three aces

Unbeknown to West, his opponents in the other room had subsided in 4spade, so there was no need to bid a grand slam. A contract of 6spade is extremely good and, barring voids, absolutely cold on anything other than a heart lead. Declarer draws trumps and plays king, ace and jack of clubs, discarding a heart loser if South fails to cover. If North wins with clubQ, club10 in dummy mops up diamondJ. Alternatively, draw trumps and play the other AKJ - of diamonds. Again the heart loser goes on the established winner.

In 6spade on a heart lead declarer will play low, win the diamond return and draw trumps. After cashing diamondK, clubKA and ruffing a low club, if nothing wonderful has happened West rattles off the rest of the trumps and makes a last minute decision about a heart finesse or squeeze for the twelfth trick.
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