From 5th July, 2006, Board 24 Theme Timing Difficulty * * * Dlr West None Vul
West leads the K♦ and continues with the Queen. How do you play this hand?
The opening lead marks West with the KQ♦, so it seems that East is a safe bet to have the missing Aces and the K♥, for his opening bid. It also seems fair to assume that West does not have a singleton Club, that would have been led at the speed of light. If these assumptions hold up, and barring a 4-0 trump break, you can count 5 trumps in the long hand, 2 Hearts (via the finesse), and a Club trick. That's 8 tricks ... ruff a Heart on the board and you are up to 9 ... is there a 10th? ... an 11th?
SOLUTION
Yes, you can get a 10th trick via a second Heart ruff on the board, and, if you are able to do that, then, entries permitting, the long Heart may even provide an 11th! But careful timing is required. Ruff the second round of Diamonds, cross to the A♠ (East playing the Jack). Take the Heart finesse, ruff a Heart, and lead a Club from the board. East plays low, you win the Q♣, and this is the full hand.
Now, it's easy enough to ruff another Heart, cash the Q♠, cross back to hand with a Diamond ruff, draw the last trump, cash the two winning Hearts, and graciously concede the 13th trick to the A♣. Making 11 tricks.
Keys to Success - After the K♦ opening lead, realizing that East must hold the K♥ and A♣ - Using both Dummy's trump entries wisely (one for the Heart finesse, the other for a Club lead) - Ruffing out the Hearts
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