Good Grand But Choose the Winning Line

Dealer: East
Vuln: Game All
Scoring: IMPs

  1. spadeA Q 9 7
  2. heartA K 10 7 6
  3. diamond10 5 2
  4. club2
  1. spade8 5 4 3 2
  2. heart9 2
  3. diamondA Q J 8 7 6
  4. club
club diamond heart spade NT
N 1 - 5 6 1
S 1 - 4 5 1
E - 3 - - -
W - 3 - - -
Green square in centre
  1. spade
  2. heartJ 3
  3. diamondK 9 4 3
  4. clubK 10 9 7 6 4 3

Contract: 7heart
Declarer: North
Lead: diamond3

  1. spadeK J 10 6
  2. heartQ 8 5 4
  3. diamond
  4. clubA Q J 8 5
Double dummy analyser: makeable contracts
West North East South
Pass 1club
1diamond 1heart 2diamond 3heart
Pass 3spade Pass 4club
Pass 5heart Pass 5spade
Pass 5NT Pass 6diamond
Pass 7heart End
The only winning lines are c) and possibly d). If opted for a) by playing a spade to hand at trick two - East ruffs. If you opted for b) by cashing clubA - West ruffs. But look what happens when you play a heart to hand and ruff a second diamond. Now you are forced to cash heartQ and can cash a couple of spades to see what transpires. When West proves to have five spades, two hearts and a diamond overcall then it's obvious that the club finesse must be huge odds-on. +2210. d) effictively amounts to the same thing. All is revealed when a spade is cashed.

At the table declarer played a spade to hand at trick two. Now tell me honestly, did I lie about North still retaining his club options with this line. I think not, but they're not much use when you're already at least one off!

I wonder why West hadn't doubled the final contract for a club lead in the first place? In the other room North-South stayed in 6heart, doubled by West. East led a club and the spade return put declarer down here too.
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