From                   6th August, 2008, Board 24

                                          Difficulty            * * *

                                          Dlr North           None Vul            Hands Rotated

                                                                                                for Convenience

East’s Double was DONT, showing a one-suiter.  West’s opening lead is the J♥, won in Dummy, East playing the King.

That K♥ play could have been from shortness or length, so it’s still not clear whether East’s long suit is Hearts or Diamonds.

You cash A♠ and K♠, both opponents following.  So far, so good.  If Clubs are 3-2 you can make 10 or 11 tricks, but can you overcome a 4-1 Club break?

SOLUTION

One line that does not work is to draw a third round of trumps and then play on Clubs.  One of the opponents wins the Ace and continues Hearts, ruffed in Dummy.  Alas, the Clubs are blocked.  After they have been unblocked, Declarer’s only entry to the board is with a Diamond, but the defense then wins the A♦ and cashes two Hearts.  Down one.

A safer line is to leave one enemy trump outstanding while playing on Clubs.  The defense can win the A♣, and may be able to organize a Club ruff, but that only serves to give Dummy and extra entry to the board.

Keys to Success

-         Realizing the danger of a 4-1 Club break

-         Postponing the drawing of the last trump while playing on Clubs

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