From                 26th July, 2006, Board 2

                                          Theme              Entry Management

                                          Difficulty           * * *

                                          Dlr North          E-W Vul              Hands Rotated

                                                                                                for Convenience

No doubt you should have passed 1♠, but perhaps, like many bridge players, you fancy yourself as a superior Declarer.  Here’s your chance to prove it on the fiendish lead of the J♦.

That opening lead looks ominous, it’s surely a singleton or doubleton, so setting up the Diamonds does not look likely to succeed.  .  Even if you manage to score 4 Spades, you can count just 6 tricks.  From where is the 7^th trick coming? 

SOLUTION

The only realistic chance for that 7^th trick is in Clubs, by finessing the 9.  But there is a shortness of entries to Declarer’s hand … you need one entry to take the finesse, and another one to enjoy the established trick.  The way to get that second entry is to finesse against the J♠.  So, win the A♦, finesse the T♠, play a Club to the 9, and hope for the best.  And the best is exactly what occurs when the T♣ proves to be with North, and when the opponents cannot profitably attack Hearts.

Keys to Success

   - Realizing that the Club suit is the only realistic hope for a 7th trick

   - Taking the slightly ant-percentage Spade finesse in order to create another entry to your hand