23 A delicate part score hand

23 A delicate part score hand

ª J 9 4 2

¨ 10 7 5

§ A J 9

ª 6 5 ª K Q 10 3

¨ A K 9 8 2 ¨ J 6 4

§ 7 6 4 2 § Q 10 3

ª A 8 7

¨ Q 3

§ K 8 5

West North East South

Pass Pass Pass 1©

2¨ 2© End

This ordinary looking hand defeated all the declarers. It is difficult to believe that a club was led at any table and the only successful defence is to lead a club or switch at trick two.

After West led ¨A K to the first two tricks she switched to ª6 ducked in dummy. East had to play ª10 and declarer won. Declarer then lost a club finesse, two spades, two diamonds and one heart.

These delicate hands come up with great frequency and it is rarely right to put all your eggs in one basket. The club finesse can be left to last if all else fails.

Lacking any other entry to dummy declarer needs to hope hearts are 3-2 or that West holds ©Q or ©J alone. Given the 5-3 diamond break that is an 80% chance.

So she wins ªA, draws two rounds of trumps with ©A K and leads ª8, a key card to hold. East wins ªQ and cannot attack clubs (anyway it is too late) and eventually declarer makes the long spade.

If West had continued diamonds which seems a more obvious defence declarer needs to do some thinking. East is marked with strength in spades as West passed originally. So ©A K drop West’s ©Q and now East must hold ªK Q. There are several ways home: the simplest is to lead ª8 in the position below, hoping that West might hold ª10 but succeeding as the cards lie as well.