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Puzzle 7F34 by Richard Pavlicek
Routine bidding leads to an ordinary contract thats as sound as a rock, but the fact that its here means the rock may crumble. A devilish opening lead, combined with an unfriendly club lie, will require anything but ordinary technique to bring it home. Are you up to the task?
4 ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | E-W Vul West Pass All Pass | North 2 ![]() | East Pass | South 1 ![]() 4 ![]() | ||
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Lead: ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
West finds the best lead, and the defense will be flawless throughout.
Normally you would just ruff two clubs in dummy, but that would fail miserably with the stiff club in East. On a brighter note, the heart layout looks friendly.
Nine tricks can be won on straight power, but the 10th is elusive. Suppose you win the A, cash one top club and duck a club to West, hoping to ruff a club in dummy. No way; East will ruff his partners trick and clear trumps to set you.
Did you notice the spade layout? One ruff will set up Norths queen, and it may be possible to endplay East to lead into dummys Q-9. An interesting idea, but it comes up empty with accurate defense unless you butcher the trump suit. An absolute beginner could play trumps for one loser, but to make 4
you must lose three trump tricks.
4 ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Trick 1. W 2. W 3. S 4. S 5. S 6. E W 4 L 2 | Lead![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | 2nd 6! 4 2 J ![]() 9 | 3rd 3 J 4 2 J ![]() | 4th 7! A 10 4 K A | ||
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First you must duck the ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | South leads | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |||
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Remind me to include this deal in my next lesson on Handling the Trump Suit.
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© 1996 Richard Pavlicek