Puzzle 7F65 (Nov 99) by Richard Pavlicek
Puzzle 7F65 (Nov 99) by Richard Pavlicek
on this unfriendly deal. Unfortunately, there are only 10 apparent tricks. I doubt that anyone would find the successful line at the table, but here you can test your hindsight with all hands in view. West leads the 
10.
5 by South
 | 4 3 2 A J 4 3 2 J 9 2 A 10 | |
| — Q 10 9 8 10 7 6 5 J 9 5 4 3 | ![[W - E]](t.gif) | 10 9 8 7 K 7 6 5 K Q 8 Q 2 |
| Lead: 10 | A K Q J 6 5 — A 4 3 K 8 7 6 |
| West Pass Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 NT 4 5 | East Pass Pass Pass | South 1 3 5 5 |
There is no way to develop the long heart due to insufficient entries, and there is no way to establish a club trick. The diamond suit has some potential to gain a trick, but this could be achieved only by an endplay against East. Therein lies the key, though it is not so easy to reach a successful ending; in fact you would be forever frustrated if you missed the key plays at trick one.
On the heart lead you must cover with the jack and discard a club from your hand. The need for covering is to prevent an early diamond shift by West, and the need for discarding is to adjust the timing for the endplay to work. Assume East shifts to the Q (best) which you win in hand and lead five rounds of trumps, throwing two hearts from dummy as East discards a club. This is the ending you will reach:
| — A 4 J 9 2 A | |
| — Q 9 10 7 J 9 | | — 7 6 5 K Q 8 — |
| 5 — A 4 3 8 7 |
Do not lead your last trump. Cross to the A and East is squeezed out of his long heart. (If East throws a diamond you can establish a diamond trick.) Cash the A to discard a club and ruff the heart. Finally, lead a low diamond and cover West’s play to put East on lead. Gotcha!
Of course, in real life we would all go for that club ruff — down one, the usual result when you bid five in a major.
Copyright © 1999 Richard Pavlicek. All rights reserved.