Puzzles 7H32 (Dec 94) by Richard Pavlicek

Magic Tricks

In each diagram your goal is to win six of the seven tricks. Spades are trumps and South leads. Warning: The key plays are tricky!

1. Spades by South

A
A Q
5 4 3 2
—
3
K J 10 9
K
2 [W - E] 2
3 2
6
K 9 8
—
—
A Q J
A Q J 10

Answer

If North were on lead, this would be a breeze by drawing the enemy trumps; but South cannot do this. If South leads winners, East and West will each win a trump trick. There is only one solution: South must lose a trick to the singleton

K, as silly as it might seem.

Cash the A and pitch the Q from North, then lead the J (or queen). West must give North the lead, and South jettisons his top diamonds on North’s aces to leave the North hand high.

Spades by South

A J 8 2
K
—
A 3
K Q 9
—
A 8 7
2 [W - E] 10
A
J 10 9
Q 4
3
—
K Q
K J 10 9

Answer

The object is to hold West to one trump trick. South leads the

K, West covers and North must ruff with the eight. Lead the

3 to the jack (unless East plays the queen), then cash the

Q to discard the club ace. Got all that? I’m sure that’s just how you would play it at the table.

South continues with the K: If West ruffs high, North discards the K; on a diamond return, North ruffs low and South overruffs to effect a trump coup against West.

Spades by South

Q 2
—
2
A Q 9 8
—
—
A J 9 8
K J 10 [W - E] K 10
K Q
—
4 3 2
A J
A 2
K Q 10
—

Answer

This ending is perhaps the most bizarre of all. South must lead the

A and ruff it with the

Q. Never ruff a deuce when you can ruff an ace, I always say. Next finesse the

J and draw the last trump, discarding a club from dummy.

South now loses the 2 to East, squeezing West in the process. If West discards a club, North discards the 2, and North’s A-Q-9 win the last three tricks. If West instead discards the A, North keeps the 2.

Return to Main

	A A Q 5 4 3 2 —
3 K J 10 9 K 2		2 3 2 6 K 9 8
	— — A Q J A Q J 10

	A J 8 2 K — A 3
K Q 9 — A 8 7 2		10 A J 10 9 Q 4
	3 — K Q K J 10 9

	Q 2 — 2 A Q 9 8
— — A J 9 8 K J 10		K 10 K Q — 4 3 2
	A J A 2 K Q 10 —