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Problem Answers
Problem Solution
 
 
 
South Deals
7 3
6 3 2
K 10 9 3
A K J 2
K Q 10 9 2
K Q 8 7 5
8 4
7
 
N
W   E
S
 
8 6 5
J 10
Q 7 2
10 9 8 5 4
 
A J 4
A 9 4
A J 6 5
Q 6 3

 

West North East South
  Partner   You
      1 NT
2 1 3 NT Pass Pass
Pass      
  1. at least 5-5 in and

 

Lead:  K

 

Before selecting a line of play, you should first count your tricks.
= 1, = 1, = 2, = 4. The total is 8 tricks.
1 more trick is needed and that can come from
or from (if your left hand opponent continues into your  AJ) .
Also consider that if you duck the  K lead, West may switch to .
The simplest way to guarantee the contract is to win the  K lead with the  A.

Then play  5 to  K and run the  10 through East.
If East has the Q (quite likely as the bidding suggests that West has
only 3 cards in and , leaving East with 8 cards in and ),
you will take 4 tricks and score an overtrick.
If West has the  Q and wins the trick, your  J4 will act as a stopper to prevent West
from running his suit. (Your  J4 would not have helped against a lead from East.)
You will score 3 tricks and still make the contract.
It is interesting to consider how you should play if you exchanged a small for your  J.
Now it would be unsafe to win the  A and finesse the into West’s hand as you no longer
have a second stopper.
Instead you would finesse through West so that if you lost to the  Q, it would be East that won the trick.
What about the danger that East would return and that the defenders would take 4 tricks and the  Q?
That is the danger you have to guard against.
You know from West’s 2  bid that he has 5 cards in both and .
Using this information you calculate that East began with 3 cards in and 2 cards in .
Before winning either the  A or  A, you should duck twice in or duck once in (if the opponents switch to )
to ensure that if East wins the  Q they will be unable to lead back the major suit in which you no longer have a stopper.
If West has the  Q you will score 4 tricks and make an overtrick.
If East has the  Q you will score 3 tricks and still make your contract.