Overtake With A Masterful Air

Pages: Page 6 of 6

Dealer: North
Vuln: Game All
Scoring: Pairs
  1. spade10 6 4
  2. heartQ J 10 9 8 2
  3. diamondJ 4
  4. club5 3
  1. spade7 5 3
  2. heart7 6
  3. diamondA 10 9 8 7 5
  4. clubQ 10
club diamond heart spade NT
N 3 - - - -
S 3 - - - -
E - 4 1 5 -
W - 4 1 5 -
Green square in centre
  1. spadeA K Q J 9 2
  2. heartK 5 4 3
  3. diamondK Q
  4. club4

Contract: 5clubx
Declarer: South
Lead: spade5
  1. spade8
  2. heartA
  3. diamond6 3 2
  4. clubA K J 9 8 7 6 2
Double dummy analyser: makeable contracts
West North East South
Pass 1spade 5club
Pass Pass Dble Pass
Pass Pass
Partner will overtake with a masterful air and play a third round of diamonds. If declarer is awake and ruffs "high" then you will be unable to over-ruff.

Your best defence is therefore to switch to a trump at trick three. Say declarer wins to play another diamond. Now partner will know to rise with the ace - he knows you have the king because otherwise declarer would have covered at trick two. Another club will hold declarer to the nine tricks he started with.

As you can see, a spade contract is likely to make eleven or even twelve tricks if South continues clubs at trick two and declarer guesses well. So it was right to bid 5spade, but you can't win them all!
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