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Scrambling Tricks

 

The term "scrambling tricks" usually refers to the situation where the trump fit is tenuous and Declarer cannot draw trumps.  Instead he grabs as many fast tricks as possible by cashing winners and ruffing before the enemy can get in and take control of the rest of the hand.

 

Related Play Problems                  Play Problem 15

                                                        Play Problem 92

 

 

 5

♠ AQ732

742

32

♣ 864


 

 

From 2nd January, 2008

♠ JT6

KT8

A85

♣ K972

        Dummy

West             East

         
South

♠ K964

J53

J976

♣ QT

 

Dlr     North
Vul     N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 8

AQ96

KQT4

♣ AJ53

West    North   East     South

            Pass    Pass    1

Pass    1♠        Pass    2♣

Pass    2        Pass    2

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

Not only is this a difficult hand to bid, it’s also a tough hand to play.  The two most likely contracts are 2♣ and 2, and 2 is likely to fare better, perhaps as follows:

            J♠ lead is won by Dummy’s Ace

            The T is finessed, forcing West’s Ace

            A Heart is returned, won by Declarer’s Queen

            Two Diamonds are cashed (Dummy pitches a Club)

            A Diamond is ruffed by West, Dummy pitching a Club

            K is returned, won by Declarer

            A♣ is cashed, then a Club ruff in Dummy

Now Declarer ruffs a Spade with her last trump and has managed to scramble 8 tricks.  It doesn’t help the defense to lead trumps at every opportunity, they still won’t be able to stop Dummy getting a ruff.

 

 

 15

♠ KT63

Q96

KJ753

♣ A




7th Ma7, 2008

♠ A974

2

842

♣ KT653

          North

West             East

         
South

♠ J

AKT53

AQT6

♣ J42

 

Dlr     South
Vul     N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ Q852

J874

9

♣ Q987

South   West    North   East 

Pass    Pass    1        1

Dbl      Pass    1♠        Pass

Pass    2♣       Pass    Pass

2♠        Pass    Pass    3♣

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

A Club part-score seems likely and although Deep Finesse tells us that 11 tricks are theoretically possible, even making 10 would seem to be a reasonable achievement, perhaps with this line of play:

            Spade lead won by Declarer’s Ace

            Spade ruff

            A and K are cashed (Spade is pitched from hand)

            Heart ruff

            Spade ruff

            J♣ won by North’s Ace

            Spade ruff

            Diamond to the Ace (the finesse achieves nothing at this point)

            Heart ruff

Declarer has scrambled 9 tricks and still has the K♣ to come.

 

 

 

 24

♠ 9

JT74

T985

♣ K965




7th May, 2008

♠ AJT73

53

A4

♣ AQ42

          North

West             East

          South

♠ KQ

AQ986

QJ732

♣ J

 

Dlr     West
Vul     None 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 86542

K2

K6

♣ T873

West    North   East     South

1♠        Pass    2        Pass

3♣       Pass    3NT     Pass

Pass    Pass

 

Against 3NT, South does not have an attractive lead and might well try a Club.  North wins the King and returns the suit, won in Dummy.  There have been several hands this week with problematical card combinations, and here is another.  The question here is twofold.  What is the percentage play in each of the red suits in order to win 4 tricks?  And which of those plays is the most likely to succeed?

-         Hearts: The percentage play is to finesse the Nine on the first round, and to finesse again on the second round.  This one is good for 4 tricks just 33% of the time.

-         Diamonds:  Here, it’s best to lay down the Ace and lead towards the QJ, which picks up 4 tricks when the suit is 3-3 or when the King doubleton is with North.  The success rate here is 44%.

 

Knowledge turns out to be a liability on this hand.  After winning the second round of Clubs, Declarer cashes the A, leads another Diamond to the Queen and King, wins the Club return, crosses to the K♠, cashes the J, and discovers that the Diamonds don’t break.  Now, Declarer is forced by the entry situation to overtake the Q♠ with the Ace, and when that suit breaks 5-1, and with the K offside, he is suddenly reduced to a mere 9 tricks.  Or is he?  On the 3rd round of Diamonds, South will have been forced to part with her remaining Club in order to guard the major suits, so her last three cards will be known to be a Spade winner and two Hearts.  So, West exits with a Spade and endplays South into giving him two Hearts at the end.  Nicely done for 10 tricks!

 

 

 28

♠ JT72

Q87

63

♣ QJ85




2nd April, 2008

♠ AQ98

AKJT2

Q98

♣ 7

          North

West             East

         
South

♠ 64

53

KJ752

♣ A964

 
Dlr     West
Vul     N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ K53

964

AT4

♣ KT32

West    North   East     South

1        Pass    1NT     Pass

2♠        Pass    3        Pass

3        Pass    4        Pass

Pass    Pass

 

 Against 4, North does best to start out with the Q♣, knocking out Dummy’s entry before the Diamonds are established.  Dummy’s A♣ wins the trick and the Spade successfully finessed.  Next comes a Diamond to Dummy’s Jack, at which point the defense can go one of three ways (none of them successful):

-         If South ducks the Diamond, Declarer scrambles 10 tricks with: Club ruff, A♠, Spade ruff, Club ruff, Spade ruffed and overruffed, A, Diamond ruff.  Now Declarer wins the last three tricks with his trumps.

-         If South wins the Diamond and shifts to a trump, Declarer draws trumps and enjoys Dummy’s Diamonds for a total of 11 tricks.

-         If South wins the Diamond and continues Clubs, then Declarer is back to scrambling mode: ruff the Club return, cross to the K, ruff a Club, cash A♠, ruff a Spade, ruff a Club, etc.

 

 

 11

♠ KJT865

T983

6

♣ AJ




5th March, 2008

♠ A973

65

KJT5

♣ 754

          North

West             East

          South

♠ Q42

KQ72

A87

♣ 863

 
Dlr     South
Vul     None 


 
 
 
 
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AJ4

Q9432

♣ KQT92

South   West    North   East 

1        Pass    1♠        Pass

2♣       Pass    3♠        Pass

Pass    Pass

 

Playing in 3♠, the best that Declarer can do is to scramble 8 tricks, perhaps as follows on an opening Club lead:

            Three rounds of Clubs, pitching a Diamond

            Diamond ruff

            Over to the A

            Diamond ruff

            Exit a Heart

            Defense cashes another Heart and takes a Heart ruff

            Diamond from West, ruffed by Declarer’s Eight, overruffed with the Queen

Now, the ♠KJT will be worth two more tricks for Declarer, for a total of 8.

 

 

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