Quiz 7H17 Main


100-Percent Guarantee


 by Richard Pavlicek

As South, how do you play each of the following hands to guarantee making your contract.
Forget about overtricks; assume your “life is on the line” to make your bid.

Problem 1

Total pointsS K Q 4 3WestNorthEastSouth
None vulH K 7 21 NT
D A 9 6 2Pass2 CPass2 D
C K 4Pass3 NTPassPass
Table Pass
Lead: H 3East plays H 10 
 
 
S 5 2
H A Q 4
D K J 4 3
3 NT SouthC A J 7 2You capture East’s H 10 with the ace.

What next? A. Lead S 2 to king
B. Win D A, finesse D J
C. Win D K, finesse D 9
D. Win C K, finesse C J

Problem 2

Total pointsS J 8 2WestNorthEastSouth
E-W vulH Q J 10 7 61 H
D K Q 4Pass3 NT1Pass4 H
C A QPassPassPass
Table 
Lead: D 10East plays D 5 1. balanced forcing raise
 
 
S Q 7 4
H A K 8 5 2
D A 7 2
4 H SouthC 4 3You win the D Q and draw trumps (West had one).

What next? A. Win D A-K, lead S 2
B. Win D K-A, lead S 4
C. Win D K-A, lead C 3
D. Win C A, lead C Q

Problem 3

Total pointsS A K 7WestNorthEastSouth
Both vulH 3 22 C
D J 10 9 8 4 3Pass3 DPass4 C
C 4 3Pass4 SPass6 NT
Table PassPassPass
Lead: S JEast plays S 4 
 
 
S Q 3
H A K 4
D A Q
6 NT SouthC A K J 10 9 5You routinely win the S Q.

What next? A. Win D A, lead D Q
B. Lead the D Q
C. Win C A-K, lead C J
D. Lead the C 9

Quit

Explanations

Top 100-Percent Guarantee

Problem 1

You have seven top tricks and can guarantee one extra trick in diamonds with proper technique and another later in spades.

The key play is to cash the D K then lead the D 3 toward dummy. If West follows low both times, finesse the nine (if this loses to the 10, the D Q must fall later). If West shows out on the second diamond lead, win the ace then lead toward your jack. This is called a “safety play” as it will succeed against any distribution, though it sometimes may cost an overtrick.

Problem 2

You have nine top tricks and need one more in clubs or spades. Rather than rely on a finesse, there is a surefire endplay.

Draw trumps and cash all of the remaining diamond winners. Next win the C A (key play) and exit with a club. Whoever wins must break the spade suit (else give you a ruff and a discard) and you are sure to win a 10th trick.

Note that if you finessed the C Q and it lost, East would return a club; then you would have to lead spades yourself and probably fail.

Problem 3

You have eight top tricks. If you win the S Q and lead the D A and D Q, whoever has the king may hold up; then you cannot set up the suit. If you then go after clubs, you may lose to the C Q and D K.

The key play is to lead the D Q without cashing the ace. If it wins you have nine tricks and you can switch to clubs for three more.

What if someone takes the D K and returns a spade? No problem! Cash the third spade and discard the D A — a jettison play — then run the diamonds.

Quiz 7H17 MainTop 100-Percent Guarantee

© 1993 Richard Pavlicek