Two Goes At the Same Contract

Pages: Page 4 of 4

Dealer: South
Vuln: Game All
Scoring: IMPs
  1. spadeA 6 4
  2. heartA J 4
  3. diamondK 9 5 3
  4. clubK J 8
  1. spadeQ J 10 7
  2. heartQ 9 8 6
  3. diamondJ
  4. club10 5 4 3
club diamond heart spade NT
N 6 4 6 3 5
S 6 4 6 3 5
E - - - - -
W - - - - -
Green square in centre
  1. spade9 8 5 2
  2. heart10 3
  3. diamondQ 10 8 7 6
  4. club7 2

Contract: 6heart
Declarer: South
Lead: spadeQ
  1. spadeK 3
  2. heartK 7 5 2
  3. diamondA 4 2
  4. clubA Q 9 6
Double dummy analyser: makeable contracts
West North East South
1heart*
Pass 3club~ Pass 4club
Pass 4heart Pass 5diamond
Pass 5spade Pass 5NT#
Pass 6heart End

* playing weak NT
~ playing who knows what?!
# Grand Slam Force

To give you a chance West will need to have at least three spades, so you continue with diamondA and lead a low one towards dummy. What does West do? If he beats the air with heartQ then declarer has the remainder of the tricks, so West discards. Now declarer cashes spadeA and ruffs a spade in hand, so your only loser, diamond4, is ruffed by West at trick thirteen.

Whilst noting that 6heart is unbeatable and 6NT impossible, the author's main point was that declarer makes the contract by ruffing in the long trump hand and not the short one, as is the usual ploy. I wonder if he makes the contract when he reads this today?
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