Play Two Contracts

Dealer: South
Vuln: Love All
Scoring: Pairs

  1. spadeA K 4 2
  2. heartA 9 8
  3. diamondA 5 4
  4. clubA K 4
  1. spade10 6
  2. heart7 4
  3. diamondJ 8 7 6 3 2
  4. club9 7 2
club diamond heart spade NT
N 5 4 6 6 6
S 5 4 6 6 6
E - - - - -
W - - - - -
Green square in centre
  1. spadeJ 9 8 3
  2. heartJ 6 5 3
  3. diamond9
  4. clubQ J 10 5

Contract: 6NT
Declarer: South
Lead: club7

  1. spadeQ 7 5
  2. heartK Q 10 2
  3. diamondK Q 10
  4. club8 6 3
Double dummy analyser: makeable contracts
West North East South
1NT
Pass 6NT End
How about testing the spades first? Let my correspondent explain .
. if the spades break, you've got twelve tricks, and you've preserved the two-way finesse position in hearts as well as a possible squeeze. In fact, when West shows out on the third spade (pitching a diamond), you give East the fourth (another diamond from West), win the clubJ return (West playing club2) and cash diamondAK, East discarding a club. You now know West had two spades, six diamonds and at least two clubs, so you cash the third diamond, bringing the club10 from East. After heartK, heart to the ace you know the last diamond is with West but not where club9 is. That still leaves two "vacant spaces" with East and this, together with the a priori odds, should lead you to finesse against East's heartJ. Note that West has had to card perfectly (not play MUD in clubs, and only pitch diamonds) even to give you a guess - otherwise he transfers the club menace to East who will be genuinely squeezed.

So there you have it - two different ways to twelve tricks but my self-deprecating correspondent had chosen neither. Which line did you choose - or maybe an even better one?
Previous page

This section is a placeholder for the forum. For the time being it will be a noshow class.