Leads Quiz 233 by David Bird

A: ♥A. It seems from the bidding that neither defender has a heart guard, or they would have played in 3NT. Hegedus led a heart (strangely a low heart) and this was the layout:

____________________♠ Q 6 3
____________________♥ K 3 2
____________________♦ 10 7 2
____________________♣ 6 5 3 2

♠ J 10 8 5______________________♠ A K 4
♥ 10 9 4_________________________♥ Q 6
♦ A Q J 6 5____________________♦ 4 3
♣ 10______________________________♣ A K Q J 9 8

____________________♠ 9 7 2
____________________♥ A J 8 7 5
____________________♦ K 9 8
____________________♣ 7 4

The defenders played three rounds of hearts, Tubak (the declarer) ruffing the third round. How would you have continued the play?

Tubak drew trumps in three rounds. You would like to take advantage of two chances: the ♠Q falling in two rounds, otherwise a successful diamond finesse. (You then need to repeat the diamond finesse to dispose of the spade loser.)

Tubaj cashed one top spade, the queen not appearing, and then saw that he could not afford to try his luck with the ♠K. If the queen failed to appear and he then took a successful finesse of the ♦Q, there would be no entry his hand to repeat the diamond finesse. He therefore finessed the diamond queen, making the contract when this succeeded.

To combine the two chances, you need to cash the ♠A K before drawing any trumps. You then take one diamond finesse, return to hand with a trump and draw trumps. You are then in the right hand to take a second diamond finesse.

Your result so far:

A: ♦8. Easily best is the top diamond. A lead in any of the other suits may easily give away a trick. Declarer could still have made the contract, but he went down. This was the layout:

____________________♠ K 10 6 4 2
____________________♥ K 9
____________________♦ K 10 5
____________________♣ Q 10 2

♠ Q 8 5 3_______________________♠
♥ 3____________________________♥ A J 10 8 6 5 4
♦ A Q 3 2_______________________♦ J 9 6 4
♣ J 7 6 5_______________________♣ K 9
____________________♠ A J 9 7
____________________♥ Q 7 2
____________________♦ 8 7
____________________♣ A 8 4 3

Declarer correctly played low at trick one, North winning with the king. If North defends passively, returning a diamond, declarer will make the contract for the loss of two clubs, one trump and one diamond.

Instead, North switched to a low club. A correct guess allows an overtrick, but declarer chose to put up the king. South won with the ace and returned his remaining diamond, won in the dummy. A trump to the king and ace was followed by a second trump to the queen. South could then cross to the ♣Q to receive a diamond ruff for one down.

Your result so far:

A: ♥A. Only the ♥A can break this contract by force. Dumbovich led the ♠9, and all then depended on declarer's line of play. How would you have played 5♣?

____________________♠ 10 5 4
____________________♥ Q J 9 5 3
____________________♦ Q 6 4 2
____________________♣ 6

♠ A Q_____________________________♠ 8 2
♥ K_____________________________♥ 10 8 6 4 2
♦ A K J 7 5_____________________♦ 10 9 3
♣ K Q 9 8 2_______________________♣A 10 3

____________________♠ K J 9 7 6 3
____________________♥ A 7
____________________♦ 8
____________________♣ J 7 5 4

Szucs (the declarer) finessed the ♠Q successfully and played the ♣K. His next move was fatal. He played the ♣Q. He could not then avoid the loss of a trump, in addition to a heart and a diamond.

Perhaps he was hoping for a 3-2 trump break and wanted to be in hand for a diamond finesse after drawing trumps, but that would only be for an overtrick. If trumps were 3-2, he could lose only a heart and a diamond. Had he played a low trump to the Ace, instead, he could have finessed in trumps and lost only two red-suit tricks.

Your result so far:

A: ♣A. The ♣A won the first trick and this was the deal:

____________________♠ A 9
____________________♥ K 7 6
____________________♦ 10 3
____________________♣ 10 9 8 6 5 3

♠ K 2___________________________♠ Q J 8 7 6 3
♥ A J 10 9 3 2___________________♥ Q 5
♦ 7 2_________________________♦ K 9 5 4
♣ Q J 2_______________________♣ 7

____________________♠ 10 5 4
____________________♥ 8 4
____________________♦ A Q J 8 6
____________________♣ A K 4

South switched to a trump at trick 2, and North won with the ace. All now depended on his return. How would you have defended at this point?

Szucs apparently read his partner for a singleton ♣A, because he returned a second round of clubs. North should surely have returned the ♦10 at trick 3, which would have put the contract two down.

Your result so far:

A: ♥4. Everything points to a heart lead after partner's raise. There is not much point in muttering "declarer should have a strong heart stopper for his leap to 3NT." Where else will you pick up five tricks? South led the ♦A, 'to look at the dummy, partner', and this was the deal:

____________________♠ K 8 6 5 4
____________________♥ J 7 5 2
____________________♦ 4
____________________♣ K 8 4

♠ Q J 10 7________________________♠ 2
♥ 10 9_____________________________♥ A K
♦ 10 9 7 6 5 3___________________♦ Q J 8 2
♣ 3________________________________♣ A Q J 10 7 2

____________________♠ A 9 3
____________________♥ Q 8 6 4 3
____________________♦ A K
____________________♣ 9 6 5

South switched to the ♥4, won with the ace, and declarer cleared the diamond suit. Four diamonds, two clubs and the ♥A K give declarer only eight tricks and the contract should still go down.

Declarer ran his diamond winners and, incredibly, South threw two clubs and North threw one club. A club finesse then gave declarer 630 for an overtrick.

It was pointless for North to keep two spades (and a heart). His partner was likely to hold the ♠A and declarer surely had very good clubs for his 3NT bid. Even if East did hold the ♠A, it was worthless to keep the ♠K instead of the precious clubs. Ah well, we all have catastrophically bad defenses hidden in a cupboard somewhere!

Your result so far: