Puzzle Collection 7A57
Puzzle Collection 7A57
Bridge puzzles are not for everyone. If you are trying to improve your game, the time spent solving bridge puzzles is less productive than working on bridge problems — note the difference. The solution of a bridge “problem” gives you lasting practical benefit, while a bridge “puzzle” is more of a novelty or fantasy — the play is sometimes so bizarre that it would never occur in real life.
But if you do like puzzles, you should enjoy these deals. Try to solve them yourself, then stump your friends. The complete solution is included after each puzzle.
Six Clubs in the Twilight Zone
doubled after West leads the 
A.
6 x by South
 |  Q 4 3 2 K 10 5 4 3 2 4 3 2 — | |
| — A Q J 9 8 7 6 K J 10 9 8 7 — | ![[W - E]](t.gif) | J 10 9 8 7 6 5 — — 8 7 6 5 4 3 |
| Lead: A | A K — A Q 6 5 A K Q J 10 9 2 |
| West 1 5 Pass | North Pass Pass Pass | East 1 5 Dbl | South 5 6 All Pass |
Assume East discards a spade and you ruff the opening lead. After drawing all of East’s trumps (six rounds!) it looks like your best chance is to get West in some kind of endplay in the diamond suit.
No dice. Since you cannot reach dummy, West needs only to cling to his diamonds — he must get two diamond tricks despite the endplay — and the contract will fail. If only you could get to dummy.
Wait a second! Perhaps you could force East to win the sixth round of trumps, then he would be obliged to lead a spade to put you in dummy. Is that enough tricks? No. The dummy will have only two winners (the Q and K) so you will still be left with a diamond loser. Darn!
Q is won in dummy. He will be squeezed and forced to surrender another trick for your contract.
For the record the play goes: Ruff the A with the 9 (you must retain the two) and cash your five top trumps, discarding three hearts and two diamonds from dummy. Next unblock the A-K and lead the 2 (discard a spade from dummy) as East must win. The forced spade return is won by dummy’s queen as West is squeezed. If you can’t see this on paper it may help to lay out a deck of cards.
A lead. And here is the really bizarre: East must ruff his partner’s A at trick one. Declarer can overruff, of course, but he cannot execute the squeeze play. The reason is that he will have an extra trump left in his hand if he attempts to throw East on lead; this relaxes the pressure against West, and he can retain both of his stoppers in the ending.Is there a moral here? Good grief, I hope not.
The Snowflake Squeeze
3 NT by South
| K 3 2 A 6 5 4 K 3 2 A 5 4 | |
| Q J 10 9 8 7 Q J 10 9 8 7 6 | | 8 7 Q J 10 9 7 6 Q J 10 9 8 |
| A 6 5 4 K 3 2 A 5 4 K 3 2 |
The problem is: Can declarer develop a ninth trick against any defense? Clearly, this must result from some kind of squeeze position, so the problem could also be stated: Can declarer develop a successful squeeze against East or West?
(1) a diamond, heart or spade, win the A, K and K (in any order), then duck a heart to East. If East returns, say, a club, win the king then concede another heart to East (cashing the A is optional). A club is ducked, and West is finally squeezed in spades and diamonds.
(2) a club (best), win the king. Cash the K (optional), then duck a heart to East. East now has the privilege (or should I say predicament) of deciding which of the defenders will become squeezed. Thus, if East returns:
(a) a diamond or heart, win the A and K, then concede another heart to East (cashing the A is optional). A club is ducked, and West becomes the squeeze victim as in variation 1.
(b) a club, win the ace, cash the K (optional), then concede a spade to West (cashing the A is optional). A diamond is ducked, and East is finally squeezed in hearts and clubs.
What about a different opening lead? If West leads a spade, declarer ducks and the play follows one of the above variations except that declarer cashes the K on his own.
If West leads a club or a heart originally, the play (like the deal) is completely symmetrical with East interchanged with West, clubs with diamonds, and hearts with spades.
The Old Insurance Play is more sensible), but we have all done worse things at the bridge table. East doubles for a club lead (ha), and West leads the Q.
7 NT x by South
| — K 2 A Q J 8 K Q J 10 9 8 7 | |
| 2 Q J 9 8 7 6 5 4 K 9 7 6 — | | 10 7 5 4 10 3 2 A 6 5 4 3 2 |
| Lead: Q | A K Q J 9 8 6 3 A 3 10 5 4 — |
| West 4 Pass | North 5 Pass | East Pass Dbl | South 7 NT All Pass |
Which heart honor do you win at trick one, and how do you make this contract. Warning! It is harder than it looks.
The contract looks easy at first sight. Declarer has two top hearts, eight spades and at least three diamonds with the finesse. But this is an illusion. Declarer cannot win three diamond tricks due to entry problems — the finesse must be postponed until the end (else South will be locked out of his hand) and it cannot be repeated. If you played out the hand in typical fashion, you would discover the annoying ending in the diamond suit.
| — 2 A Q J 8 — | |
| — J K 9 7 6 — | | — — 3 2 A 6 5 |
| 3 3 10 5 4 — |
When South leads the 3, West is squeezed. If he throws a diamond, the 2 is discarded from dummy; then the lead of the 10 wraps up four diamond tricks. If West instead discards his last heart, dummy throws a diamond; then the diamond finesse can be repeated using the 3 as a reentry to the South hand.
Oversold Overcall is a thing of beauty when compared to South’s carefree overcall. West leads the K and then shifts to his singleton heart (ducked by East). Warning! This is a tough one.
4 x by South
| K 9 8 4 3 Q J 10 4 J 10 5 4 | |
| 2 9 A K J 10 9 A Q 9 8 7 6 | | Q 10 7 K 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 K 3 |
| Lead: K | A J 6 5 A 3 2 Q 8 7 6 5 2 |
| West 1 2 | North Pass 4 | East 1 Dbl | South 1 All Pass |
If you can overcall like South, you will need to overplay like a magician. How can the contract be made?
South can easily win nine tricks by drawing trumps, but a 10th trick is elusive. The first thought is to negotiate some kind of crossruff, but East’s doubleton diamond leads to trouble. Another possibility is to endplay West — not so easy. All routine attempts can be foiled by accurate defense.
9 (or 8) is led from dummy, East covers with the 10 (best) and South must win the ace. That’s right! No finesse. Ruff a diamond, win two hearts with the finesse, and exit with a low club from each hand. If East wins the K, West can later be endplayed by leading the J and throwing a diamond; so assume West wins cheaply and exits with a low club, ruffed by South. This leaves the diagrammed ending.
| K 8 4 — — J 10 | |
| — — A J 10 A Q | | Q 7 K 8 7 — — |
| J 6 — Q 8 7 — |
South ruffs a diamond with the 8. East must overruff and return a trump (else declarer succeeds by a crossruff) on which South plays the jack and West is squeezed. If West discards a diamond, South can establish a diamond. If West discards a club, the J is overtaken in dummy to establish a club.
Variations: If West covers the 9 with the queen, the play is essentially the same. If West ducks the 9, South also ducks; win two hearts and ruff a diamond (order depends on if East covers heart); then a spade to jack forces West to part with a club (else diamonds can be set up); exit with a club — if East wins and returns a trump, win in North and lead a club and discard a diamond, forcing West to establish another trick for you.
Valentine Magic. Or at least give it a try before you look at the answer.
7 by South
| Q 5 2 Q 6 3 A K J 9 8 A 4 | |
| J 7 6 9 8 7 7 3 Q J 10 6 5 | | K 4 3 5 2 10 6 5 4 2 9 8 7 |
| Lead: Q | A 10 9 8 A K J 10 4 Q K 3 2 |
| West Pass Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 NT 2 4 5 | East Pass Pass Pass Pass | South 2 3 4 NT 7 |
At first it looks easy. Declarer has 12 top tricks — five hearts, four diamonds, two clubs and a spade — plus he can ruff a low club in dummy for 13. Not true! If you ruff a club, you will be unable to win four diamond tricks because the suit is blocked.
Since declarer has 12 tricks (either in high cards or by ruffing a club at the expense of a diamond trick), the first thought would be some kind of squeeze play. Perhaps East can be squeezed since he holds the K and a diamond stopper. No, East will discard after the dummy and it will not work.
Take it from there.
5 — appears to be insignificant opposite South’s 10-9-8.
Win the K and cash the K and J (any two trumps are OK as long as you save the queen). Next lead the Q and overtake with the king. Lead the 9, East covers with the 10 and you ruff. (If East did not cover, discard a spade and ruff the 8 with the 10.)
Cash the A (key play) then cross to dummy with the Q to win the rest of the diamonds. When North leads his last diamond this is the ending:
| Q 5 — A A | |
| J 7 — — J 10 | | K 4 — — 9 8 |
| 10 A — 3 2 |
East must throw a club (else his K ruffs out), South throws his last spade, and West is also squeezed. If he throws a spade, North’s queen can be led through East to smother the jack and establish the five. So West also throws a club. Now the A is cashed and South is able to win the last trick with the 3 (or more poetically with the carefully preserved 2).
Take Me To Your Leader! is justified, but South’s final bid seems to be from outer space. The wild stab at 7 seems destined to fail. Even assuming South drops West’s singleton K, there appears to be an inevitable diamond loser.But wait! If West leads a low spade, he gives declarer an extra trick. The same is true of a low heart. Further, declarer might be able to develop a squeeze if West finds a safe lead.
7 by South
| J Q K 10 6 4 Q J 10 9 8 7 6 | |
| Q 9 8 6 4 2 K 10 6 Q 9 2 K | | 10 7 3 J 9 7 3 2 J 7 3 3 2 |
| A K 5 A 8 5 4 A 8 5 A 5 4 |
| West 1 All Pass | North 5 | East Pass | South 1 7 ? |
Against this extraterrestrial contract I say, “Take me to your leader!” What is the only card in West’s hand that will defeat 7 against any play?
K (declarer will drop it anyway). Win the A and lead two more rounds of trumps (optional). Lead the Q to the ace and ruff a heart; lead the J to the king, cash the A and ruff another heart. This leaves the ending in the diagram:
| — — K 10 6 8 7 | |
| Q 9 — Q 9 2 — | | 10 J J 7 3 — |
| 5 8 A 8 5 — |
North leads the 8 and East is under pressure. A heart discard loses immediately, so assume East lets go his spade; South throws a diamond, and West throws a spade. Now the 7 completes a double squeeze: East must discard a diamond; South throws his now useless heart, then West is squeezed.
Variation: From the diagram, if East retains his 10 and discards a diamond, the next club squeezes East again. If he throws a spade, the same double squeeze develops; if he throws another diamond, the A will drop his jack and West can be finessed in diamonds.
The only way to break up this squeeze position is for West to lead a diamond. But which diamond? A low diamond lead is disastrous — North plays low then declarer can pick up the entire suit.
What about the Q lead? Nope. Declarer can win with the king in dummy, ruff hearts twice as before then bring about a diamond-heart squeeze against East.
The only lead to defeat 7 is the nine of diamonds. This delicately holds the diamond position, and declarer cannot benefit. Try it.
The Declarer Reversal is a Texas transfer to 4 , a relatively easy contract. West’s moronic sacrifice in 5 clearly should have been doubled — but then I would have no puzzle — so assume North takes the push to 5 .
5 by South
| A 9 7 5 3 2 2 6 5 4 3 A 10 | |
| 10 8 6 4 5 4 3 Q J 9 8 7 2 | | Q K J 9 8 7 6 K Q J 9 8 7 |
| K J A Q 10 A 10 2 K 6 5 4 3 |
| West Pass 5 | North 4 5 | East Dbl All Pass | South 1 NT 4 |
West leads the 3 (two, king, ace) and your task is to win 11 tricks. Warning: It’s tricky!
With 10 routine tricks, the most obvious hope for 11 is to develop some kind of endplay against East based on the heart layout. If you pursue this angle, you will be frustrated by communication pitfalls and the complications of West’s trump holding. Alas, it can’t be done.
Can you find the way?
The key play is to discard the A on the Q. Then ruff a heart and return to your hand with the K. (Optionally, you could ruff the heart at trick two, return to the K, and then jettison the A.) Next ruff a club, return to your hand with a trump, and ruff another club. (West cannot gain by ruffing in front of dummy, so assume he discards each time). This leaves the ending shown in the diagram with North to lead:
| A 9 — 6 5 4 3 — | |
| 10 8 6 — Q J 9 — | | — J 9 8 K Q 9 |
| J — A 10 2 4 3 |
Duck a diamond to East. The forced club or heart return allows you to make all of your trumps separately. The defense is helpless to prevent this.
In all, declarer wins two top hearts, one top diamond, one top club, two high trumps in hand and five ruffs in dummy.
Crazy Eights a cue-bid in support of clubs? Or was it natural, or a waiting bid? In any event it meets my standards for an excellent bid: It was sufficient.
6 by South
| A 8 5 4 3 6 5 4 3 2 A K 10 — | |
| K Q J 7 A 7 J 9 6 5 4 3 2 | | 10 9 6 Q J 10 9 3 2 7 6 5 4 |
| 2 K 8 Q 8 7 A K Q J 10 9 8 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 2 4 | East Pass Pass Pass | South 2 4 6 |
This is a “play or defend” puzzle. The question is: Can South make 6 against any defense?
Hint: To get you started, West must lead a diamond. Otherwise, declarer could establish dummy’s long spade by negotiating three diamond entries to dummy. Take it from there.
. The first crucial play goes against the grain of normal technique: The diamond lead must be won in dummy with the king (or ace), then a second diamond is won with the queen. (It is impossible to succeed if you win the Q first.)South leads four rounds of clubs to reduce everyone to the seven cards in this diagram:
| A 8 5 4 6 5 A — | |
| K Q J A 7 J 9 — | | 10 9 6 Q J 10 9 — — |
| 2 K 8 8 10 9 8 |
Next comes the 10, throwing a spade from North (East throws a heart) then:
1. If West throws a spade, win the A, ruff a spade, and lead your last trump. West must throw a diamond (else you can duck a heart), North throws a heart, and so does East. When you cross to the A, East is caught in a vice squeeze: He must discard a heart to protect the 8, then a heart lead will establish the 8 as your 12th trick.
2. If West throws a diamond, lead another club throwing a spade from North (West throws a spade, East a heart). Next lead the 8 (your last trump) then:
If West throws a spade, throw a heart from North. Win the A and A to bring about the same vice squeeze against East.
If West throws his last diamond, jettison the A from North! Now lead the good 8: West must throw a spade (else you can duck a heart) and the vice squeeze appears once again.
3. If West discards a heart, just duck a heart. Note that in all variations, West was forced to hold on to A-x in hearts to prevent this.
Duck Soup
3 NT x by South
| 4 3 2 3 2 K Q J 10 2 9 8 3 | |
| A A K J 9 7 6 5 4 8 7 7 6 | | K Q J 10 9 8 — 6 5 4 J 10 5 4 |
| 7 6 5 Q 10 8 A 9 3 A K Q 2 |
| West 3 Dbl | North 3 NT All Pass | East Pass | South 1 NT Pass |
West leads the K and East makes the excellent discard of the K. West accurately cashes the A (else you have an easy endplay) and exits safely with a diamond. Make 3 NT!
Eight tricks are easy, and your thoughts focus on the club suit. You cannot develop an extra club trick on your own, but East might be caught in an end position.
Suppose you win the K and lead the 9 (10, ace). As you run the diamonds, East must discard two spades, then you can endplay him by exiting with a spade. Right? Wrong! East cashes his other spade and exits with the J to block the club suit. This is a dead end.
| 4 3 3 K Q J 2 9 | |
| — A J 9 7 6 5 4 7 — | | Q J 10 9 — 6 5 J 10 |
| 7 6 Q 10 9 3 Q 2 |
Now the cute play: Lead the 3 and duck in dummy to force West to win the trick. (Be sure to add this technique to your arsenal; it comes up at least once every 98 years.)
West must return the gift with a heart return (an even trade). If he elects to cash the A, East will be caught in a traditional club-spade squeeze as the remaining diamonds are cashed.
What if West returns a low heart without cashing the ace? Then East is ripe for a delayed-duck squeeze: Declarer can establish a spade trick after East comes down to only one spade to keep his club stopper.
Fourth BestBut what if we took away the mystery of the unseen hands? Anyone should be able to choose the best opening lead looking at all four hands. Right? Well, maybe. Test yourself on this deal, where the object is to defeat 6 NT played by South.
6 NT by South
| A 9 8 7 K Q 8 K 2 6 5 4 3 | |
| Q J 10 J 10 9 Q 10 8 6 10 9 8 | | 4 3 2 A 7 6 5 4 9 7 5 4 2 |
| K 6 5 3 2 A J 3 A K Q J 7 |
Which suit must West lead? And how should East plan the defense to defeat 6 NT?
Q. Declarer wins in hand and leads a heart which East ducks (best), then five rounds of clubs lead to this ending:
| A 9 K 8 K 2 — | |
| J 10 J 10 Q 10 — | | — A 7 9 7 5 4 — |
| 6 5 3 A J 3 — |
Note that West was forced to abandon his protection in something, and he chose to give up diamonds (best). Declarer next leads a spade to the ace, and East must give up his long diamond (else declarer can just duck a heart). Next comes three rounds of diamonds, and West is caught in a vice squeeze. He must keep his high spade, so when he throws a heart, declarer exits with a heart to the king-ace, then dummy’s 8 wins the last trick.
So, how can the defense stop this? What should West lead? Well, I told you! Fourth best. The only lead to defeat 6 NT is a diamond (any diamond). This immediate sacrifice of a trick curiously prevents declarer from gaining any more with accurate defense. If declarer accepts the diamond finesse, he loses communication ability in that suit, and East only needs to hold his long diamond to defeat the contract.
Let’s say declarer refuses the finesse and wins the K to keep his communication open. East ducks the first heart as before, then five rounds of clubs leave this ending:
| A 9 8 Q 8 2 — | |
| Q J 10 J 10 Q — | | 4 A 7 9 7 5 — |
| K 6 5 3 A J — |
The difference is that East cannot be forced to let go his long diamond (cashing the K-A is useless). All declarer can do now is cash his two diamonds (West lets go a heart), then East has a good diamond to cash when he wins the A.
Copyright © 2000 Richard Pavlicek. All rights reserved.