SpadeHeart 
Chichester Bridge Club
 DiamondClub
0 0 0 0 0 0
Pages viewed in 2025
Release 2.19r
Thursday Oct 31st - Board 11

Board 11 on Thursday Oct 31 is interesting. South opens a weak 2S and East finally arrives at 4H. South leads the SK

 

To make the contract, Declarer needs to make 5 trumps and 5 tricks in the minors. 

The defence will probably lead spades, to force ruffs, at every opportunity. So there is a risk of Declarer losing trump control. Declarer ruffs the Spade and successfully takes the club finesse. Now he leads a diamond. North plays the DQ and Declarer wins with the DA.

                    

He cannot risk another diamond before tackling trumps, so he leads to the CA, and plays the HJ and another heart. (Fortunately, all finesses have worked). One trump is left outstanding, hopefully with North, because of the danger of being forced by spade leads. Now the DJ is led, won by North's DQ.

 

At this stage, after 7 tricks (1 spade, 2 hearts, 2 diamonds and 2 clubs) Declarer has won six tricks and the defence one trick, Declarer knows South has 3 clubs, because the CK must still be with South. Hence South must have started with 6 spades, 2 hearts, 2 diamonds and 3 clubs. Hence North's distribution was 3-3-4-3. North now has 4 options

 

(a) Return a spade. Declarer ruffs and gives up a club, establishing the 4th club. Another spade will be returned, which Declarer ruffs with his last, master, trump. Now the last club is played. North may ruff, but Declarer will still make the D10 and the last small trump left in Dummy.

(b) Return a trump. Declarer wins, gives up a club and will still make D10, last club and last trump.

(c) Return a diamond. Declarer wins, ruffs his last diamond and gives up a club.

(d) Return a club. South will win and Declarer will ruff the spade, draw the last trump and cash the D10 and last club.