Double Dummy Problem - Spring 2008
Beware Greek Gifts by Julian Lang
| ♠ 106 | |||
| ♥ K10432 | |||
| ♦ 5 | |||
| ♣ KJ1073 | |||
| ♠ Q9 | ♠ 875 | ||
| ♥ QJ9 | ♥ 876 | ||
| ♦ Q107632 | ♦ 4 | ||
| ♣ Q5 | ♣ A98642 | ||
| ♠ AKJ432 | |||
| ♥ A5 | |||
| ♦ AKJ98 | |||
| ♣ --- | |||
South to make 7♠ on the lead of the ♥9.
There's something of a clue in the title: you should refuse the cheap trick with the ♥10 and win in south with the ace. Play ♦A and ruff a diamond with the ♠10. Next lead the ♣K, ace and ruff. Play trumps from the top to reach this position:
| ♠ --- | |||
| ♥ K104 | |||
| ♦ --- | |||
| ♣ J10 | |||
| ♠ --- | ♠ --- | ||
| ♥ QJ | ♥ 87 | ||
| ♦ Q10 | ♦ --- | ||
| ♣ Q | ♣ 986 | ||
| ♠ 3 | |||
| ♥ 5 | |||
| ♦ KJ9 | |||
| ♣ --- | |||
When you play the last spade, if west lets go a heart, it gives you two more winners in the suit - you will throw clubs on this trick and the ♦K. Discarding a club is no good either, north's losing hearts go away on the same two winners and dummy is high. If west parts with a diamond, there are now three diamond winners, the trump and the heart king. Effectively, on this trick whatever he discards, west surrenders two tricks.
Lastly, if east withholds the CA, south has twelve winners and west will be squeezed for a single extra trick in hearts and diamonds on the run of the spades.