Play Problem # 101

♠ Q5
♥ 8
♦ KQ654

♣ KQ876

         North

West             East

          South

East South West North

Pass 2♠ Dbl 3♠

Pass Pass Pass

♠ AKJ862
♥ T63
♦ T2
♣ 43

West leads the Q♥ and then shifts to the 9♠. After this rather unsporting defense, can you make your part-score contract?

On a more friendly defense, it would have been easy to score 9 tricks via 6 top trump tricks, a Heart ruff on the board, and a trick in each minor suit … but the trump shift has caused a problem. If you win it in your hand with the Ace, and take your Heart ruff with the Q♠, you are in danger of losing a second trump trick if the suit breaks 4-1. And, West’s Takeout Double and play of the Nine make this seem quite likely.

You cannot win the Q♠ on the board, draw trumps, and then play on the minor suits, that would leave you with 5 cashing losers. The winning line is to win the Q♠ at Trick 2, and immediately go after the minors from the board, trying to force an entry back to hand without letting East in (for another trump lead). For his Takeout Double, West surely has both minor suit Aces, so the best line is to play a minor King next. Let's say we choose the K♦ and let's assume that West craftily ducks. Good defense but not good enough! Now, continue with the Q♦ (an Avoidance Play to keep East off lead), losing to West’s Ace.

♠ Q5
♥ 8
♦ KQ654
♣ KQ876

♠ 9
♥ QJ95
♦ A973
♣ AJ52

         North

West           East

          South

♠ T743
♥ AK742
♦ J8
♣ T9

♠ AKJ862
♥ T63
♦ T2
♣ 43

West can do no better than to continue Diamonds, but Declarer ruffs this, finally gets the Heart ruff on the board. Care is still required, though! Declarer must now play the K♣, in order to preserve trump control.

- Deducing that West probably had one trump and therefore winning the trump shift on the board

- Executing an Avoidance Play to make sure that West won the second Diamond trick

- Retaining trump control by playing on Clubs after the Heart ruff on the board