Deal of the Week (May 30, 2008) Click here for Archives |
Problem: The Auction: West North East South pass pass 4♠ 5♦ dbl all pass South's 5♦ call was marginal, but the final contract has its chances. West opens the ♠9 to East's ♠10, which you ruff. You lead the ♦K to West's ace, who returns a second spade for you to ruff. You lead the ♦J to West's queen. West plays back a trump, which you win. How do you plan the rest of the play?
The key is to discover more about East's distribution, so that you know which of the above two lines you should adopt. After drawing trumps, you should play ♣A, a club to the jack, and cash the ♣K. If East follows to this trick, you know that he is 7-2-1-3, and you therefore should plan to squeeze West. You will return to hand by ruffing a spade, squeezing West in the process. Instead, if East discards a spade on the third club, you will ruff a club back to hand, squeezing East in spades and hearts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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To render the analysis complete, note that the case where East's distribution is 7-4-1-1 or 7-5-0-0 should be treated in a similar fashion to the case where East's distribution is 7-3-1-2. Finally, when East is 7-1-1-4 or 7-0-1-5, the contract cannot be made, as East will discard after dummy.
Bridge Baron's Line of Play Bridge Baron deal No : N0542-01488-93342-29809-39010-40976 |
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