Analyses 7V40  Main Challenge

Diamonds Are Forever

Scores  by Richard Pavlicek

Good morning, James. As a reward for your successful mission, you can take command of Her Majesty’s yacht for a week’s vacation, wherever you wish. The yacht has been stocked, shall we say, with “talent” for your cruising pleasure. When you return, please report to Miss Moneypenny for your next assignment.

Problem 1

2

3

4

5

6

Final Notes

During the month of June 2001, these six defensive-play problems were published on the Internet as a contest. Each problem starts with a diamond opening lead, after which you must decide your next lead as West or East.

Venkatesh Ramaratnam Wins!

Bidding is standard, and you use standard leads and signals.
For a reference see Standard American Bridge. Assume all players are experts.

Each problem offered six plausible leads. The merit of each is scored on a 1-to-10 scale, based on my judgment, so a perfect score would be 60. Despite the difficulty of the problems, the participants did quite well as a whole. The average score was the highest yet of all my play contests.

Problem 1

IMPs	J 4 2		West	North	East	South
Both vul	Q J 10		You	Dummy	Partner	Declarer
	8 6 3				Pass	1 NT
	K Q J 10		Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
Q 10 9			Pass
K 6 2
K Q 10 5 2
8 3		3 NT South

Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
1. W	K	3	7	4

Your Next Lead	Award	Votes	Percent
8	10	135	40
10	8	53	16
Q	7	30	9
Q	4	30	9
5	3	46	14
2	2	41	12

Partner’s play of the 7 can only be from J-7*, 9-7 or a singleton. (A few respondents assumed partner’s signal was count, hence it would show three diamonds or a singleton. No, this is definitely an attitude situation, both in standard methods and by overwhelming expert opinion.) Therefore, a diamond continuation is surely against the odds. Though, if you did continue, the queen is better than a low one to avoid blocking the suit in case partner has the miracle J-7 doubleton.

*This holding is less likely than the normal percentages because partner might have dropped the jack to alleviate your problem; I say “might have” because it’s a questionable play that could backfire under other circumstances. As a different solution, several respondents mentioned that their opening lead would have been the Q to demand an unblock; however, even if this were “standard” (and I don’t believe it is) it’s a dubious choice. Normally one should have K-Q-10-9-x (or K-Q-10-x-x-x). With only K-Q-10-x-x, it would sometimes lose a trick, e.g., if dummy had a doubleton and declarer had A-9-8-x.

With declarer presumed to have the A, that leaves four key high cards missing ( A-K A A) of which partner must have exactly one based on the 15-17 notrump range. Which is it?

If partner has the A, there is no urgency to lead it. In order to develop nine tricks, declarer will have to attack hearts himself; then partner can win the first heart and return his last diamond for an easy set. (If partner has no more diamonds, it’s probably hopeless no matter what you do.)

In contrast, if partner has the A, it is essential to lead clubs immediately. Consider this layout:

IMPs	J 4 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
Both vul	Q J 10		1. W	K	3	7	4
	8 6 3		2. W	8!	K	A	2
	K Q J 10		3. E	9	A	2	6
Q 10 9		7 6 5 3	4. S	4	3	Q	6
K 6 2		8 7 5 4	5. N	J	7	5	2
K Q 10 5 2		9 7	6. N	10	4	9	5!
8 3		A 7 6		Declarer fails
	A K 8
	A 9 3
	A J 4
3 NT South	9 5 4 2

After a club to the ace and a diamond return, declarer does best to win and run clubs. To ensure defeat, West must pitch a diamond on the last club, after which declarer is down one with any play. A more daring defense (attractive at matchpoints) is to blank the K, as declarer will surely try that finesse to make; then down two.

If you lead anything but a club at trick two, declarer will succeed. A diamond gives declarer a picnic, as East will have none to return after winning the A. A spade not only loses a trick but allows declarer to take the safe heart finesse before attacking clubs. A heart does not cost a trick outright but loses a crucial tempo; declarer now can succeed by endplaying you.

What if partner has a spade honor? If he has the K, it cannot in theory help to lead a spade because of the blockage in the spade suit (declarer would cover the 10 or nine with the jack). If partner has the A, there are some layouts where a spade shift* is necessary (e.g., when South has four hearts) but there are also many layouts where it will suffice to lead a club. In other words, if partner has the A, a spade lead is fatal; but if partner has the A, a club lead may still be OK.

*Whether to lead the Q or 10 is moot. The queen has the advantage that declarer might play you for a doubleton (e.g., with A-x he might duck or win the ace and duck your 10 on the second round, allowing East to run his spades). Nonetheless, I can see two disadvantages in the queen lead: (1) Partner is obliged to duck when he has the A, giving declarer time to knock out your K before you are able to set him, and (2) declarer might have A-K doubleton. Hence, the 10 seems the better choice.

Comments for the 8

Venkatesh Ramaratnam: Partner rates to have a doubleton diamond in lieu of declarer’s first-round duck. Partner has just one out of four picture cards, namely A, A and A-K. The spade suit can provide only two tricks because of the blockage. If partner has the A, passive defense beats the hand. If partner has the A or A, the diamond suit has to be set up before the K is knocked out. Playing a club back wins when partner has either the A or A, whereas playing back a spade succeeds only if partner has the A.

Gabriel Nita-Saguna: …Partner has 3-5 HCP. To beat the contract I need him to have either the J or an ace (the K is not enough, or “The World Is Not Enough” since we are dealing with James Bond here). The only problem is what would he play with J-7 alone. It seems too risky to assume he started with those two cards exactly, and even if he did, if he has an ace and I guess it, I still can beat the contract. So, which ace should I play for? If I play a spade, that is good if and only if partner has the A. Similarly, if I play a heart, my partner must have the A. [A club lead] works fine when partner has either the A or the A, [so this] seems to be better.

Gareth Birdsall: It looks like partner has 9-7 doubleton diamond. I can defeat the contract if partner has either A or A by switching to a club. Switching to the 2 would leave me in a position to be endplayed if partner had the A.

Rob Stevens: Plainly, partner has an ace (not the K for then declarer would have no reason to duck, unless A-x-x-x A-x-x A-J-x A-x-x). A heart can’t be right; declarer will need at least one heart trick, unless we give away a cheap trick, and partner can hop with the A. The danger is that if you guess wrong declarer can knock out your entry first, but a club is greatly superior to a spade. Even if declarer holds the A, he will still need a four- or five-card heart suit to make the contract. When a spade is wrong, there is no second chance (unless declarer holds A-K-x x-x-x, when almost anything would have worked).

Bill Jacobs: The only play that does not give away a possible finesse and the contract. There are many possible continuations after this, some of which require me to bare the K. In most of these, the contract will go down.

Herbert Wilton: Need to find partner’s black ace. Finding K-x-x-x-x with partner is no help because of the spade blockage.

Alex Perlin: I always switch to the highest card in dummy’s best suit. After all, am I James Bond or just another pusillanimous pussyfooter? Hope partner won’t think, I’m trying to set up clubs.

Hmm. I should have made “Goldfinger” my theme so you could add Pussy Galore.

Neelotpal Sahai: Spades are almost always blocked, and the contract is almost cold if declarer has four hearts. Only a passive defense will beat a likely: A/K-x-x A-x-x A-J-x-x A-x-x.

Rainer Herrmann: I need to find partner’s entry (the K will not do). Leading the 8 seems to cater to most situations where partner has an ace outside of diamonds. I lose if declarer has the rounded aces with either five clubs or four hearts.

Jonathan Steinberg: If partner’s card is the A, he can win and shift to a diamond. In any event, the 7 is the lowest outstanding spot; I’m playing declarer for A-J-x.

Arvind Srinivasan: Any other lead could concede the ninth trick.

Grant Peacock: If I can hit partner’s ace and he can return a diamond, declarer is in trouble. If declarer has four diamonds, that means more pressure on me and I think it is hopeless. If I fail to guess where partner’s ace is, is there still any chance? Yes, if he has the A and I don’t blow a spade trick. So my choice is a passive club.

Michael Shuster: Declarer appears to have landed in 3 NT with sparse values and everything wedged. Best to defend passively rather than guess which major to exit with. In the case that declarer has A-x-x and everything else, I need to shift to the Q, but that is too brilliant for me to risk if declarer holds A-K-x-(x).

Sebastien Louveaux: My best chance to reach partner to play a diamond through. If I play a major suit and guess wrong, declarer can force my stopper before diamonds are established.

N. Scott Cardell: Partner would probably unblock the J if he had it and overtake and fire back a diamond if he had the A. …[Hence] declarer has the A-J left. A diamond return is out of the question. Of the other missing cards ( A-K A A), declarer needs exactly three for his opening bid. … Either a heart or a spade is likely to be fatal if partner doesn’t have that ace, but a club lead may well beat the hand even if partner doesn’t have the A. Give South K-8-x 9-x A-J-4 x-x-x plus any two aces and a club lead beats 3 NT. …

Bill Powell: If partner has an ace and a second diamond we can defeat this. If it’s the A and declarer has four hearts, he’ll probably get home now — but other options suffer similar or worse downsides.

Fred Verheul: This wins three times out of four (only wrong when partner has A). …

Rajeeva Parasar: If South is an expert I expect him to have exactly A-J-4, else he would falsecard with the 9. … If partner has the A, by playing a spade I could give South four spades, one heart, one diamond and three clubs to make the contract. … If partner has the A, K or A, I need not guess; [I can] play a club and wait for partner to get an entry.

Josh Sinnett: Partner should have worked out to drop the J or overtake with the A if he had one of them. Therefore, declarer has a tenace in diamonds remaining. I must switch. If partner’s card is the A, declarer doesn’t have more than eight tricks available, so a heart shift is unnecessary. A spade is risky; this could give declarer four tricks in each black suit and the A. By process of elimination, a club is the best switch.

Tonci Tomic: As safe as possible. Any other lead gives away the contract when partner has the A. If partner has the A, K or A, declarer is still far away from nine tricks.

Arian Lasocki: Passive. A spade or diamond could give away a trick. A heart looks safe but could remove an important exit card if declarer has, e.g., A-K-x A-x-x A-J-9-x x-x-x.

Jack Lacy: … [On] most layouts, declarer has only eight tricks; or if he has nine, I can’t do anything about it. For example: A-x-x A-x-x A-J-x A-x-x-x. …

K. Scott Kimball: This is a must switch; partner does not have the A or the J. … Partner has about 4 points so I will play a club and see if partner can get in to lead a diamond through before my entries are knocked out.

Manuel Paulo: Partner cannot have either the A or the J, else he would have played it. The 8 will set the contract almost always when partner has an ace and the 9, or if he has: K-x-x-x x-x-x-x 9-7 x-x-x.

Bruce Scott: Playing declarer for A-K-x-x A-x-x A-J-x x-x-x. Let him do his own work. …

Problem 2

IMPs	Q 10		West	North	East	South
E-W vul	K 9 4 3		You	Dummy	Partner	Declarer
	Q J 7 5			Pass	Pass	1
	10 9 8		Dbl	1 NT	Pass	2
9 3			Pass	2	Pass	4
J 10 7 2			Pass	Pass	Pass
A K 9 8
A Q 5		4 South

Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
1. W	K	5	2	10

Your Next Lead	Award	Votes	Percent
A	10	100	30
J	7	80	24
2	6	53	16
3	5	66	20
5	2	34	10
8	1	2	1

Declarer is almost certain to be 6-4 shape (with only five spades lacking the Q-10-9 he would hardly jump to 4 after the obvious doubleton preference). If he has a singleton diamond* as appears likely from the 10 dropping, there is little hope to set 4 . Even if partner has J-x-x, it would be routine for declarer to use his two dummy entries ( Q K) to finesse clubs twice.

*Some respondents felt this was a count situation, hence partner’s 2 must be from three, and South cannot have a singleton. This certainly has merit (and is my method of choice) but, alas, is not standard. Standard practice is for partner to signal attitude on your leads, so the 2 could be from three or four cards. An exception would be against a slam (see Problem 3) where the leader must always know immediately if his ace will cash.

Therefore, to be able to set the contract you should assume declarer has two diamonds and one heart (which would be the blank ace). In that event it is essential to cash your second diamond before it goes away on the K. Here’s a probable layout:

IMPs	Q 10		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
E-W vul	K 9 4 3		1. W	K	5	2	10
	Q J 7 5		2. W	A!	7	4	3
	10 9 8		3. W	J	3	6	A
9 3		J 6 2	4. S	A	3	10	2
J 10 7 2		Q 8 6 5	5. S	4	9	Q	6
A K 9 8		6 4 2	6. N	Q	6	6	8
A Q 5		4 3 2	7. N	K	5	7	2
	A K 8 7 5 4		8. N	10	2	J	Q
	A		9. W	A	8	3	K
	10 3			Declarer fails
4 South	K J 7 6

Declarer’s play of the 10 was a routine falsecard, trying to distract you from the winning play. After cashing your two diamonds, you can sit back and wait for two club tricks. Simply exit with anything but a club. Note that declarer can enjoy only two discards on dummy’s red-suit winners; he cannot use the fourth diamond because partner will have a trump.

This solution is not foolproof. It is barely possible that partner has the A and South is bidding on extreme shape, e.g., A-K-J-x-x-x Q 10 K-J-x-x-x, in which case a heart shift will beat it two. Nonetheless, there is no way to cater to both cases, and trying to cash the A is surely the favorite.

Comments for the A

Venkatesh Ramaratnam: … A losing diamond may be pitched on the K if it is not cashed. Since partner can ruff the fourth diamond, declarer will be restricted to nine tricks (six spades, two hearts and a diamond).

Gabriel Nita-Saguna: It seems South has six spades and four clubs. To justify his auction, he probably has A-K A K, and probably one of the black jacks. If he is 6=2=1=4, I cannot beat the contract, as he has two entries to dummy allowing him to double finesse in clubs. … So, the only hope is when South has: A-K-x-x-x-x A x-x K-J-x-x. …

Gareth Birdsall: … [I must] cash my other diamond in case declarer is A-K-J-x-x-x A x-x K-J-x-x (partner has a third trump so declarer can’t discard enough clubs).

Rob Stevens: … Declarer presumably has 6=1=2=4 pattern and will be unable to enjoy two diamond tricks since he has no side entry and cannot draw trumps ending in dummy. Only a 5=3=1=4 pattern is a problem, and surely declarer would not bid 4 with, say, A-K-J-x-x A-x-x x K-J-x-x. … Interesting aside: This shows the folly of the 2 bid. Were declarer to have bid 3 and be raised, the defense is much harder. How would you ever know to switch to a low club against: A-K-J-x-x-x A-x x-x K-x-x? — talk about a tough play!

Charles Blair: I hope declarer has A-K-J-x-x-x A x-x K-J-x-x, but would he have bid 2 with it?

Bill Jacobs: … If declarer has about A-K-J-x-x-x A x-x K-J-x-x, I don’t see how he can make it.

Herbert Wilton: Setting up 10 tricks for declarer doesn’t help him since he can cash only nine.

Alex Perlin: When we lead from A-K versus suit, dummy turns up with Q-x-x-(x) and declarer has bid two other suits, third hand must give count. See page 54 of Kantar’s “Defensive Tips for Bad Cardholders.” Should declarer ruff my ace, I’ll call Eddie for a refund. Nobody has ever refused a refund to James Bond.

Neelotpal Sahai: … Then exit passively. West is likely to get two clubs in the fullness of time.

Jonathan Steinberg: Better take my tricks before they disappear — which would happen if declarer is 6=1=2=4 with a stiff A.

Mark Rishavy: I pay off to A-K-J-x-x-x Q-x x K-J-x-x, but this does not look like a 4 bid to me. I hope declarer has A-K-J-x-x-x A x-x K-J-x-x. …

Michael Shuster: If I don’t cash the A now, declarer may be able to step on me like a stone. …

Kaizad Anklesaria: Declarer seems likely to be 6=1=2=4 or 6=2=1=4. With the latter the contract is unbeatable, so I cash my A before it vanishes on the K.

Bill Powell: Two club pitches won’t save him, but we don’t want a diamond disappearing on the K.

Nate Ward: Declarer must have A-K, A and K for his bidding, and partner’s 2 seems to mark him with 6=1=2=4. He can’t be 7=0=2=4, as partner would have bid with A-Q-x-x-x. …

James Hudson: I’d better try to cash this, lest declarer have A-K-x-x-x-x A 10-x K-J-x-x. If he really has a singleton diamond, we probably aren’t beating the contract. True, he might have A-K-x-x-x-x Q 10 K-J-x-x-x, so a heart shift might work. But I’m betting declarer has the A.

Ioanna Polichronakou: Waiting for two club tricks.

Tonci Tomic: If declarer has A-K-J-x-x-x A 10-x K-J-x-x, anything but the A will be fatal. …

Bob Boudreau: Give declarer his two pitches where they won’t help him.

Arian Lasocki: … Not taking the A may enable declarer to pitch it on the K if he has A-K-x-x-x-x A 10-x K-J-x-x. [Now] declarer can pitch two clubs on the K and Q, but partner with ruff the J, leaving declarer with two clubs losers.

Connie Delisle: Two clubs won’t be lost — only a diamond if opener has a stiff A. …

Jojo Sarkar: … Declarer might have a singleton A. I need to get my second diamond trick now, exit passively, and wait for two club tricks. …

Luis Argerich: I guess South is 6=1=2=4. If he has the stiff A he can discard a diamond on the K (entering dummy with a trump) so I have to cash the diamond. He can discard two clubs but not three, since partner can ruff the J.

Phil Clayton: There are two relevant holdings for declarer: A-K-x-x-x-x A x-x K-J-x-x, or A-K-J-x-x A-x-x x K-J-x-x. With the first hand, I must cash the diamond, and wait for my club tricks. With the second, I must exit with a heart at some point (not necessarily now) to break up the red-suit squeeze against me. Does Hand #2 make sense on the bidding? I don’t think so. South might have tried 3 or even 2 NT.

Andrew de Sosa: … Playing declarer for A-K-J-x-x-x A x-x K-J-x-x. Let him get two pitches on the A and Q; this still leaves two club losers, since partner can ruff the J.

Robin Burns: If I do not cash the A, declarer will discard his diamond loser on K as he probably has a singleton A. He cannot now come to 10 tricks.

Michael Scanlon: I think we will need two tricks in each minor to defeat this contract.

Jeff Goldsmith: … I must cash the second diamond before it goes away on the K. …

Problem 3

IMPs	J 6 5		West	North	East	South
None vul	A K 9		You	Dummy	Partner	Declarer
	Q 7 4					1
	Q J 10 8		1	3 NT	Pass	4
10 4 3			Pass	4	Pass	6
Q 10 6 5			Pass	Pass	Pass
A K J 9 5
9		6 South

Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
1. W	K	4	8	2

Your Next Lead	Award	Votes	Percent
Q	10	58	17
5	9	47	14
3	8	24	7
9	5	118	35
10	3	25	7
A	1	63	19

On a king lead against a suit slam, with the queen in dummy, partner’s signal should definitely be count so you can determine whether the ace will cash. Hence, the 8 shows an even number, which is consistent with 10-8-6-3 and confirms declarer’s singleton. (In theory partner might also have 8-6 or 8-3 doubleton — or a singleton, for that matter — but these would make South’s bidding absurd.) Therefore, a diamond continuation is surely the worst defense as it establishes a trick for dummy’s queen.

How many clubs do you suppose declarer has? I would assume seven. With only six clubs (lacking the Q-J-10-9-8) it is doubtful he would be so committal toward a final club contract. Combined with two heart winners and two likely spade winners (A-K or A-Q) this gives declarer 11 tricks.

So, where’s the 12th trick? If declarer has J-x or J-x-x, he will always succeed — he doesn’t even need the double heart finesse because you will be squeezed in the red suits. Therefore, assume partner has the J. In that event, there is still a danger; with the diamond threat positioned behind you, the run of the clubs will force you to unguard hearts or spades, then declarer will have a double squeeze. Below is the actual deal from a Spingold match four years ago:

IMPs	J 6 5		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
None vul	A K 9		1. W	K	4	8	2
	Q 7 4		2. W	9?	Q	2	3
	Q J 10 8		3. N	J	3	4	5
10 4 3		Q 9 7 2	4. N	10	6	5	9
Q 10 6 5		J 8 7 4	5. N	8	8	A	5
A K J 9 5		10 8 6 3	6. S	K	6	5	10
9		2	7. S	7	10	6	2
	A K 8			continued below…
	3 2
	2
6 South	A K 7 6 5 4 3

If you exit passively with a club, declarer will cash all but one trump to reach this ending:

win 6	J		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	A K 9		8. S	6	J	7	7
	Q 7		9. S	2!	Q	A	4
	—		10. N	K	7	3	?
10 4 3		Q 9 7		West is squeezed
Q		J 7 4
A J		—
—		—
	A K 8
	3 2
	—
South leads	6

You discarded as best you could so far, retaining a second diamond (lest declarer ruff out your ace) and unguarding hearts. On the last club you can part with the J, but partner is forced to unguard spades to keep his heart stopper. Declarer then cashes A-K to squeeze you in spades and diamonds.

If instead you kept a heart stopper (and abandoned spades), the last club would force partner to unguard hearts, then A-K would squeeze you in the red suits. It’s a case of heads declarer wins, tails you lose.

Can you do anything to stop this? Yes. An effective defense to many double and compound squeezes is to attack the double winner in the hand containing one threat. In essence, this double winner allows the opposite hand to discard comfortably, retaining all of its threats and communication cards. Take away that double winner, and the opposite hand will often be squeezed itself. On the above deal the only successful defense is a shift to the 3 (East inserts the nine if dummy plays low). Before leading the last trump, the ending will be:

win 5	J		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	A K 9		9. S	6	J	?
	Q			Declarer fails
	—
10 4		Q 7
Q		J 7 4
A J		—
—		—
	K 8
	3 2
	—
South leads	6

Declarer has no successful continuation. If he leads his last club, you can pitch either the J or Q, and dummy is squeezed.

When the above deal occurred, both tables actually played 3 NT (I had the lovely East hand), though I did notice the necessary spade shift to defeat a club slam. In adapting this as a defensive problem, it became apparent that a heart shift (preferably the queen to guard against a stiff jack) would be necessary on other layouts. Since the actual deal has no bearing on the scoring awards, I had to determine which play was better in theory. The following table lists all the cases that matter (assuming South holds 2 and A-K-7-6-5-4-3).

Case	South’s Majors	Hands*	Winning Lead
1	A-K-x x-x	30	3
2	A-Q-9 x-x	10	Q or 5
3	A-K-9-x x	15	Q or 5
4	A-Q-9-x x	15	Q or 5
5	A-K-9-x J	3	Q
6	A-K-x-x J	3	Q
7	A-Q-9-x J	3	Q
8	A-Q-x-x J	3	Q

*The number of possible hands for South. For example, A-K-x represents three holdings (the x could be 8, 7 or 2) and x-x could be achieved in 10 ways; hence, together they would produce 3 x 10 = 30 specific hands.

The table shows that the Q gains more often (52 total hands). This is tainted slightly because in Case 2 declarer might still succeed by running the J (covered) then playing to squeeze West in spades and diamonds, but the 52-to-30 advantage has room to spare. Regrettably, I must award second place to the 5 because, even with the loss of Cases 5-8, it still has an edge over the 3.

Note that A-Q-x x-x is omitted from the table because either defense ( 3 or a heart) will succeed. It might seem that a spade is necessary to kill the double winner (as in the actual deal), but the need to take a spade finesse is an obstacle for the squeeze: If the finesse is taken early, the double winner is lost; and if the finesse is postponed, West will abandon spades, leaving declarer no way to squeeze West in hearts and diamonds since the remaining heart entry is required for the spade finesse. Try it.

While a complete analysis of this problem is complicated and surely unrealistic at the table, anyone who found either shift ( 3 or a heart) should be commended. The moral is that you can’t just sit back and be passive. Note that a “safe” club lead at trick two would lose to every hand in the table and some others.

Comments for the Q

Venkatesh Ramaratnam: Remove the entry to break the squeeze if declarer is 4=1=1=7. The Q caters to a singleton J with declarer as well.

Gabriel Nita-Saguna: To justify his bidding South must have seven clubs headed by A-K and very likely the A-K. Also, he surely has no more diamonds, as he bid the slam knowing his partner has no diamond cue-bid. … If South has eight clubs, or A-K-Q, or two or more hearts including the jack, there is nothing to bid done (in the last case I will get squeezed). … [If South has a stiff heart] I must return a heart to break up the squeeze, and I lead the queen [in case he has a stiff jack].

Gareth Birdsall: If declarer has J-x-(x), then he will always make. I switch to hearts to break up the entries for a squeeze if declarer has, e.g., A-K-9-x J x A-K-x-x-x-x-x.

Rob Stevens: Danger is a double squeeze. Declarer rates to have seven club tricks, two hearts and two spades. If he holds two hearts, there is nothing to be done; but if one heart, a heart switch will break it up and I should lead the Q in case the stiff is the J.

Charles Blair: I hope declarer has A-Q-9-x J x A-K-x-x-x-x-x.

Bill Jacobs: … South holds A-K-9-x J x A-K-x-x-x-x-x. No squeeze (or double squeeze) now.

Alex Perlin: Always switch to your highest card in dummy’s best suit. They don’t call you James Bond for nothing.

Neelotpal Sahai: To break the diamond-heart squeeze on West, a heart has to be played immediately (to cater to 4=1=1=7 distribution); and the Q will cater to a singleton J.

Rainer Herrmann: I hope to break up the (double) squeeze, should declarer have a single (jack) in hearts.

John Reardon: I am confident that the second diamond is not cashing. I think the critical hand is when South holds something like: A-K-9-7 J 8 A-K-7-6-5-4-3. It is no good hoping that declarer will not run a low heart to his jack; moreover, when it is a doubleton you will be squeezed [anyway].

Jonathan Steinberg: If declarer is 4=1=1=7, it may be necessary to play a heart to break up the squeeze. The queen caters to declarer holding a stiff jack.

Mark Rishavy: Any plain-suit lead could pitch a trick and a trump seems very likely to lead to a squeeze. I hope declarer has A-K-9-x J x A-K-x-x-x-x-x. …

Leonard Helfgott: If South has J-x you’re getting squeezed in the red suits, or maybe a nonsimultaneous double squeeze with spades as the twin threat, so I may as well play him for A-K-x-x J x A-K-x-x-x-x-x, or much less likely, A-9-x J x A-K-x-x-x-x-x-x.

N. Scott Cardell: Partner can see that I need a count signal, so he is showing an even number by playing the eight from 10-8-6-3 and declarer has a singleton. … I look ripe for a squeeze. Maybe declarer has a stiff heart (something like A-K-x-x x x A-K-x-x-x-x-x) so I lead the Q in case declarer has the stiff J, hopefully breaking up the squeeze.

Steve White: Primarily trying to break up the heart-diamond squeeze, while protecting against declarer’s stiff J.

Barry Rigal: Only chance to cut communications for the double squeeze if declarer has, e.g., A-Q-x-x x x A-K-x-x-x-x-x.

Anthony Golding: To break up a double squeeze if declarer is 4=1=1=7. If he’s 4=2=1=6 with the J, it’s still only 11 tricks if partner has the Q. If declarer has A-K-Q and J-x-x, I was going to be squeezed anyway.

Will Engel: Since I don’t want to lead the 10 and pay off to A-Q-9 in declarer’s hand, I’ll lead the Q so I can get myself out of the coming squeeze.

Sid Ismail: Avoid the squeeze if declarer has A-K-x-x J x A-K-x-x-x-x-x.

Andrew de Sosa: To cut communication to dummy and break up the impending double squeeze on the run of the clubs.

Branko Vlajnic: If South needs a double heart finesse, I’m helpless. But, I must try to destroy the squeeze if he has 4=1=1=7 with A-Q-9 or A-K-9.

Dick Yuen: Create an illusion to South that you have the J as well.

And if he buys this looking at, say, J-x I will credit you with the Yuen coup.

Problem 4

IMPs	A K 8 2		West	North	East	South
N-S vul	A Q J 4		Partner	Dummy	You	Declarer
	6 3				Pass	1
	5 4 2		Pass	1	Pass	1 NT
		Q 5 4	Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
Lead: 5		K 9	Pass
		A 10 4 2
3 NT South		J 10 9 3

Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
1. W	5	3	A	9

Your Next Lead	Award	Votes	Percent
10	10	110	33
3	8	37	11
2	6	153	46
J	4	28	8
9	2	0	0
4	1	7	2

The routine play is simply to return the 2 (original fourth-best) hoping to establish your side’s suit. Declarer is likely to have one stopper (K-J-9, K-9-8 or Q-J-9) though he might have two (K-Q-9). Then you stop to think: Declarer will probably take the heart finesse as his first move, and after winning the K you cannot set the contract in diamonds alone. You or partner will have to give the lead back to declarer, and then you’ll have a real problem: What will you discard on the third heart?

Foreseeing this problem suggests a deceptive move: Return the 10 so declarer will think you have only three diamonds and partner has led from five. If you continue this deception when you win the K, declarer is almost certain to misread the ending. Here’s a typical layout:

IMPs	A K 8 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
N-S vul	A Q J 4		1. W	5	3	A	9
	6 3		2. E	10!	J	Q	6
	5 4 2		3. W	8	2	4	K
9 7 6		Q 5 4	4. S	2	3	Q	K
10 8 6 3		K 9	5. E	3!	A	6	4
Q 8 7 5		A 10 4 2	6. S	5	6	J	9
7 6		J 10 9 3	7. N	A	4!	7	8
	J 10 3		8. N	5	9	Q	7
	7 5 2		9. S	K	7	4	10
	K J 9		10. S	8	10	2	J
3 NT South	A K Q 8			Declarer fails

Assume declarer finesses the J; partner wins the queen and returns a diamond to the king as dummy sheds a club. Note that partner is on to your falsecard (else declarer’s 9 at trick one would be a gift), but declarer has no clue. Next comes the heart finesse, which you win. Do not lead your last diamond. Return a low club (or optionally your last heart) and declarer wins the A — I don’t want to hear about how he would finesse the eight.

Declarer will now probably test hearts*, and you must pitch a spade. Then he will test clubs to discover you have a stopper. From declarer’s point of view, your last four cards must be three spades and the J, so he will exit with a club for the forced spade return. Ouch… Where’d you find that 2!

*Alternatively, declarer might just take the spade finesse, figuring it is safe; but whatever he does will fail unless he is playing with mirrors.

Note that if you led your last diamond after winning the K, declarer would succeed no matter who held the Q without having to guess. West must protect hearts; East must protect clubs; so neither can keep a spade stopper — a classic double squeeze.

What about the other options besides a diamond return? Well, forget the 4 and 9; these were just fillers. (Curiously, I got seven bites for the extremely risky 4 but none for the 9, which is effectively safe.) A club return* has some merit, but it goes against the odds; surely, if partner has a queen it is more likely to be in the suit he led. Further, if partner held Q-x, he would not know to unblock if declarer won, and this would prevent the establishment of your clubs in time.

*The 3 is clearly better than the jack; for one reason, partner might have a stiff queen. Also, note that I scored the 3 relatively high because it retains the option of reverting to the 10 when you next gain the lead; hence, you might pull off the same deception.

Comments for the 10

Venkatesh Ramaratnam: Declarer is bound to duck the 10 and take the next diamond with K. On winning the heart, play back a heart. Declarer is likely to concede a spade to the safe hand to ensure his contract. If declarer has Q-J-x, the deception is unlikely to work. If the diamonds are cashed, declarer can succeed by a positional or double squeeze.

Gabriel Nita-Saguna: I have to try to create the illusion of a 5-3 diamond split. … Assume declarer started with J-x-x x-x Q-J-x A-K-Q-x-x. … If partner cooperates by ducking this trick, South will not have the safe option of finessing in hearts, so he will cash two top clubs first. Then, when he discovers the bad break, he will finesse in hearts. But now, after taking the heart king, I can return a club… If he now cashes two more hearts, I have a safe discard of a diamond and the contract cannot be made anymore.

Gareth Birdsall: Pretending I have A-10-x. When declarer takes a heart finesse, I will switch, hoping he will try to duck a spade into my “safe” hand. If I have shown four diamonds, he might read the position when I discard a spade on the third heart.

Rob Stevens: Might as well keep declarer in the dark about diamonds. Partner will recognize the falsecard since declarer would not play the 9 from K-J-9-x. …

Charles Blair: If declarer has J-x-x x-x Q-J-x A-K-Q-x-x, and my brilliant partner ducks, declarer may get confused.

Bill Jacobs: If a heart shift is needed, I’ll give up the game. …

What? I think the 9 is a beautiful lead… at least compared to the king.

Herbert Wilton: Partner knows my diamond count, but not declarer.

Rainer Herrmann: Tough. I hope partner has the Q, 10 and J, and switches to a major, preferably hearts. A switch to spades is more likely, and if declarer ducks, I will have to blank the K and hope declarer plays me for 3-3 in the reds.

Shyam Sashital: … The lead of the 2 gives the position away. …

John Reardon: I am hoping South holds something like: J-6-3 7-6-3 K-J-9 A-K-Q-6. After the heart finesse loses I will return a club and it will seem that I began with: Q-5-4-3 K-9 A-10-4 J-10-9-3. I will discard a spade on the third heart and then be thrown in on the fourth club to lead from the Q. Only at this point I will find the missing 2.

Grant Peacock: I see no point in switching, and I see no point in being honest about my diamond holding. Later in the hand, I’ll need to pretend my 4 is some major-suit card for a while.

Sebastien Louveaux: I must hope for three diamond tricks, the K and a black-suit trick. However, I need to [deceive] declarer in case he tries to force a discard from me by playing hearts. …

Barry Rigal: Setting a deep, dark trap for declarer, who will finesse into me and find me with a diamond winner. Don’t ask the details; I am a little foggy on them.

Jojo Sarkar: Partner has 2-4 points. Here’s hoping they’re in diamonds.

Gabriel Ip: I have one trick in each suit and need to set up partner’s diamond honor before I’m squeezed out of existence. Play partner for K and hope for a heart return. Declarer may have J-x-x x-x Q-J-x A-K-Q-x-x.

Andrew Morris: The 10 may help partner to duck this trick with K-8-7. I can then win Q or K and return the 3. I then discard the 4 on a long heart or spade trick, win [my other entry] and finally return the 2. …

Arvind Ranasaria: As I have all the defensive strength outside of diamonds, it is OK to falsecard; partner will not have much role to play, but declarer might get his card reading wrong. …

Problem 5

Matchpoints	9 5 4		West	North	East	South
Both vul	A K 5 2		Partner	Dummy	You	Declarer
	A 5 4 2				Pass	1 NT
	9 3		Pass	2	Pass	2
		J 10 8 3	Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
Lead: 9		4 3	Pass
		K Q J 6
3 NT South		Q 10 2

Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
1. W	9	2	J	3

Your Next Lead	Award	Votes	Percent
4	10	30	9
K	9	198	59
10	6	44	13
Q	5	20	6
J	3	25	7
3	2	18	5

Partner found a great lead, and the instinctive play is to return the K to knock out the ace and establish your suit. There is no obvious danger since your spot card is bigger than dummy’s, and partner would not have led a singleton. But what does this actually accomplish? Nothing* good for your side. You have no likely entry to cash your fourth diamond, so all it does is win a second trick early (declarer would duck) and aid declarer’s process of rectifying the count for a possible squeeze.

*If declarer held Q-J doubleton, it would be effective to remove dummy’s entry before the hearts are unblocked, but this is extremely unlikely. If partner had 10-9-8-7-6, he would probably have led a heart.

The real danger is that you and/or partner may be squeezed (you in spades and diamonds; partner in hearts and clubs; or possibly a double squeeze). There’s also a danger that partner might be endplayed in hearts or clubs. The best defense to these predicaments is a balanced attack on entries rather than repeated leads in the same suit. Further, you should prefer to lead something that declarer must win, rather than letting him continue to duck tricks. Consider this typical layout:

Matchpoints	9 5 4		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
Both vul	A K 5 2		1. W	9	2	J	3
	A 5 4 2		2. E	K?	10	7	4
	9 3		3. E	Q	6	8	A
Q 7		J 10 8 3	4. N	9	10	2	7
J 9 8 6		4 3	5. E	6	7	4	5
9 8 7		K Q J 6	6. E	2	A	5	3
J 8 5 4		Q 10 2	7. S	A	Q	4	3
	A K 6 2		8. S	K	8	5	8
	Q 10 7		9. S	Q	6	2	3
	10 3		10. S	10	J	K	4
3 NT South	A K 7 6			Declarer succeeds

Suppose you return the K (ducked) then the Q to force the ace (South pitches a club). Declarer next leads the 9, you cover, and he ducks. Now suppose you cash your good diamond. Curtains! Regardless of what you lead next, declarer has a cold double squeeze with clubs as the common suit. That’s the price you pay for speeding.

There are many other variations in the play, but declarer can always succeed on a diamond return (or anything but a heart) though in some cases it may require double-dummy play. Since the diamond suit alone cannot defeat 3 NT, sound general principles are to assist partner in other suits and attack entries.

Now let’s play it cool by returning a heart; seven, eight, king. Suppose declarer ducks a spade as before, and you win and lead another heart, won by the queen. What can declarer do now? If he ducks a diamond, you can return a low spade (or a low club or a diamond) and there is no workable squeeze.

It should be noted that the heart shift at trick two might make declarer’s work easy if he held Q-10-9 or J-10-9, but this is no real loss because an expert declarer would succeed anyway on a different return.

Comments for the 4

Venkatesh Ramaratnam: Neither diamonds nor clubs can produce more than two tricks each for the defense. Loss of tempo is not a factor because declarer’s tricks are readily available. Any chance of an extra trick is only through a squeeze. If declarer has Q-x, playing the suit twice will break the double squeeze.

Gabriel Nita-Saguna: The most difficult problem; anything can be right or wrong. If South has Q-J stiff, it would be imperative to continue with a high diamond. On the other hand, playing diamonds now will do two bad things for the defense: (1) correct the count for a potential squeeze, or (2) remove partner’s exit cards and he might get thrown in to underlead the Q. I think playing a heart will be best, as it will remove the throw-in possibility or break up communication for a potential squeeze. I do not think it is imperative to play a black suit; declarer will have to do that himself eventually.

Alex Perlin: Always switch to dummy’s strongest suit. Otherwise nobody will respect you.

Grant Peacock: The K is way too obvious, so that can’t be right in this quiz. :) Attacking hearts could be necessary to destroy entries. I may be squeezed if declarer can lose four tricks (two in diamonds) while he still has a board entry.

Quit trying to psychoanalyze me… or I’ll put you back to work for N.B.C.

Sid Ismail: Partner may get endplayed with the 8 later, holding x-x Q-10-9-x 9-x-x 8-x-x-x.

Branko Vlajnic: Heart leads will destroy a heart-club squeeze against West.

Arvind Ranasaria: A case for passive defense. Declarer has a lot of work to do with no great source of tricks.

Jack Presser: I won’t be able to cash [my fourth] diamond. Partner has hearts, and I would like to leave him with a diamond to lead later; this might take the pressure off.

Bruce Scott: Partner has four hearts. Let’s get started on them while I still have entries.

Peter Kay: Partner probably has four hearts — maybe broken honors — so lead from my side.

Problem 6

Matchpoints	K Q J 10 2		West	North	East	South
None vul	A 8		Partner	Dummy	You	Declarer
	A J 5					3
	K 10 3		Pass	4	Pass	Pass
		A 5 4	Pass
Lead: 4		J 10 3
		K 9 8 2
4 South		A Q 8

Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
1. W	4	A	9	6
2. N	K	A	9	6

Your Next Lead	Award	Votes	Percent
5	10	56	17
A	7	19	6
2	6	182	54
K	4	54	16
3	2	8	2
10	1	16	5

First, let’s consider the spade layout, which is crucial to solving the problem. Partner’s play of the 6 is logically a count signal, and it’s consistent with two possible holdings: 8-7-6 and 6-3. Note that 8-7-6-3 is not a possibility because partner should not play an ambiguous card when he could afford a higher one.* Since declarer is attacking spades immediately, it is highly probable that he has the shorter holding. Hence, partner should have 8-7-6.

*The consensus of experts is to play the second highest (if affordable) when giving count from four cards. The advantage is that partner can recognize a doubleton immediately if you play the highest outstanding card.

What about diamonds? Partner’s lead is consistent with Q-10-7-4 and Q-10-7-4-3 (it could also be from Q-10-4, Q-7-4, 10-7-4, or even 4-3 doubleton, but these are illogical from declarer’s play). If partner led from four diamonds, declarer has made an error to allow you a way to reach partner for a club lead (if this were the case, he would have ducked the opening lead or played the jack). Hence, you should assume partner has five diamonds, and declarer a singleton.

The assumptions so far give declarer 2=7=1=3 shape, or possibly 2=6=1=4 if he’s a frisky bidder. In either case, the only way for you to make two club tricks is to return a spade to sever declarer’s communication with dummy. Here’s a typical layout:

Matchpoints	K Q J 10 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
None vul	A 8		1. W	4	A	9	6
	A J 5		2. N	K	A	9	6
	K 10 3		3. E	5!	3	7	10
8 7 6		A 5 4	4. N	8	J	Q	2
2		J 10 3	5. S	4	3	A	3
Q 10 7 4 3		K 9 8 2	6. N	Q	4	6	8
7 5 4 2		A Q 8	7. N	2	10	K	7
	9 3		8. S	9	2	10	Q
	K Q 9 7 6 5 4			Declarer wins only 10 tricks
	6
4 South	J 9 6

The spade return limits declarer to one discard, stopping the overtrick. Eventually you get two club tricks.

If you returned a heart or a diamond, declarer would win the rest. Hence, the second-best defense is to cash the A, as pitiful as it seems.

If declarer had led a heart to his king at trick two, then a spade, you would see partner’s count signal before your play, after which you must duck the first spade. Else declarer could lead a fourth spade, which only you could ruff, then overruff and return to dummy with the A to enjoy the fifth spade.

Comments for the 5

Venkatesh Ramaratnam: With a doubleton diamond declarer would’ve ducked a round as a safety measure. Declarer’s distribution is either 1=7=1=4 or 2=7=1=3 (latter is more likely because partner would’ve played a higher spade to show an even number of cards). No hurry to cash the A. A spade back removes a late entry to enjoy the spades, and the contract can be held to 10 tricks.

Gabriel Nita-Saguna: I do not think South has another diamond, as with two he would have ducked the first one… So, the problem is how many spades partner has. He would probably not have played the six from 8-7-6-3, … so it must be from 6-3 or from 8-7-6. … In the first case… I should cash the A; otherwise I will get a photo with it. In the second case I should play a spade, and now declarer can make only 10 tricks…Which of the two possibilities is more likely? Well, I think that even an expert would be reluctant to play a spade at trick two with eight spades, as he could easily run into some spade ruffs when the A was onside. So, I will play a spade. …

Gareth Birdsall: If declarer had x-x, he may have ducked the lead, so I place declarer with two spades, one diamond and three clubs. In this case I must play a second spade to cut off dummy from the spades and hold declarer to 10 tricks.

Rob Stevens: Partner would not play the 6 from 8-7-6-3, so he holds either 6-3 or 8-7-6. With the former I must cash the A or risk it disappearing. But declarer is more likely to hold two spades since playing a spade with three is quite risky. Therefore, play back a spade to cut him off from fourth and fifth spade tricks. The  2 cannot be correct; with 2=7=2=2 declarer would have ducked at trick one to keep the dangerous hand off lead.

Charles Blair: My helpful partner would not have played the six from 8-7-6-3, so I’m playing him for 8-7-6. The brilliant declarer would have played the J if he had two of them, so I’m hoping he has x-x K-Q-x-x-x-x-x x x-x-x…

Bill Jacobs: Cater to x-x K-Q-x-x-x-x-x x x-x-x. With x-x K-Q-x-x-x-x-x x-x x-x, declarer would duck at trick one.

Alex Perlin: Partner is at least a 3-to-1 favorite to hold three spades. So dummy’s spades will be cut off. What if he has 6-3 doubleton? Well, as the Russian saying goes, unlucky in cards are lucky in love.

Once again, I picked the wrong Bond flick for this guy… should have been “From Russia with Love.”

Rainer Herrmann: I play declarer for a doubleton in spades and a singleton in diamonds. With two diamonds declarer would probably not have played the ace on the first trick.

Shyam Sashital: … The key position to consider is when declarer has falsecarded in spades holding the 9-3 doubleton. Now, any return other than a spade allows him to draw trumps and use the 3 as entry to dummy to make 12 tricks. By, returning a spade…, declarer is restricted to 10 tricks.

John Reardon: West has not petered in spades unless he started with the doubleton 6-3 (with 8-7-6-3 he would have signaled with the eight or seven). I expect him to have something like: 8-7-6 5 Q-10-7-4-2 J-7-6-2. When I return a spade South will only be able to draw two rounds of trumps before continuing spades, and then I will be able to ruff the fourth round, holding the contract to 10 tricks. This should be a good matchpoint score since partner’s diamond lead took away a vital entry to North. … I know partner will be disappointed if he led from four diamonds to the queen when a low one back will defeat this contract, but I hope he is not just a result merchant.

Jonathan Steinberg: I’m playing for declarer to be 2=7=1=3, in which case I must return a spade now to [stop an overtrick]. …

Mark Rishavy: The threes in both spades and diamonds are missing. I hope partner would not play the 6 from 8-7-6-3, so I will give the 3 to declarer. In that case, on a diamond return I am threatened with declarer ruffing and winning 12 tricks. A spade return kills this entry to dummy. …

Jonathan Weinstein: Declarer should have a stiff diamond, else he should have ducked trick one. The real problem: Is the 6 is from 8-7-6 or 6-3? I think the former is more likely for two reasons: (1) This means the unseen clubs break 4-3 rather than 5-2…, and (2) by restricted choice declarer must play the 9 from 9-2 to give me a problem, while from 9-8-7 he could play any of the three. So I play him for 2=7=1=3, in which case only the spade holds him to 10 tricks.

Grant Peacock: I protest! I think it’s wrong to go up with A at trick two. If declarer has more than one diamond, he would tend to play low on trick one. Not very many 3 bids have two singletons*, so it’s pretty safe to duck the first round of spades. If declarer is being crafty with 1=7=2=3 shape, then kudos. Anyway, now that I’ve been grabby, I have two choices — cash out the A, or lead a spade to remove the board entry. Which of these is right depends on whether declarer has three spades or two. This seems like a guess at this point, but I prefer the spade lead because it has more matchpoints to gain.

*I think 1=7=1=4 should be a serious consideration, especially since declarer might be lacking the K or Q. If you assume declarer would not be attacking spades early with three cards (logical, as several respondents noted), ducking the first spade offers no advantage and may cost a trick. R.P.

Leonard Helfgott: Declarer seems to have a stiff diamond and two spades from the carding. I must kill the spade entry to dummy after three rounds of trumps drawn, playing him for 9-3 K-Q-x-x-x-x-x x x-x-x.

S.T. Arasu: [Declarer cannot avoid] two club losers if his shape is 1=7=1=4. If he is 2=7=1=3, the 5 looks bright.

Bill Powell: Partner probably had five diamonds (let’s play thirds and fifths in future) because (1) with such a weak 2=7=2=2 declarer might have settled for 2 , and (2) with two diamonds declarer might have ducked.

Nate Ward: Declarer is either 2=7=1=3, 2=7=2=2 or 3=7=1=2 (partner would not play the 6 from 8-7-6-3). [In the first two cases] a spade back limits him to one pitch, since I know trumps are not 2-2. If it were IMPs, I’d have to play a low diamond back and hope declarer is 2=7=2=2; but at matchpoints I can’t afford to let him make six. Yeah, I pay out when declarer has three spades, but partner might have led his doubleton (even with a stiff trump) in preference to Q-10-x-x-x or J-x-x-x-x.

Ron Small: I trust partner not to have chosen a diamond lead with four diamonds and five clubs… [Further], if declarer were 2=7=2=2, then he would have ducked the opening lead; and expert declarers don’t usually open 2=7=2=2 with a ragged heart suit. Let’s hold declarer to 10 tricks.

Fred Verheul: South has 9-8-7 or 9-3, probably the latter. If that is so, he has 2=7=2=2 or 2=7=1=3 shape. In the first case I should play a low diamond for down one, but if wrong it’s 12 tricks. In the second case (which is three times as likely) a spade destroys the communication [and holds it to] 10 tricks. So I play a spade.

James Hudson: I shall assume declarer holds K-Q-x-x-x-x-x. If he had a doubleton diamond, he would have ducked the opening lead. So I’ll play him for 2=7=1=3 distribution. My goal is to win three tricks.

John Vega: If declarer has another spade, I need to knock it out before he pulls trump. I can keep declarer from using either minor suit for entries to the long spades. I may have held up on trick two until I could get count from partner.

Andrew de Sosa: Partner started with 8-7-6 x Q-10-7-4-3 x-x-x-x (maybe with J). With 8-7-6-3, he should play the eight, not the six. We’ve got to hold this to four, since some Wests will start a club instead of a diamond. Playing the 5 severs communication with dummy so declarer can only enjoy one pitch on spades. …

Sivakumar Salem: To restrict declarer to 10 tricks.

Andrew Morris: We know from partner’s 6 that declarer’s 9 is a falsecard (partner would play the eight from 8-7-6-3). Our best chance is that declarer is 2=7=1=3. …

Peter Kay: Partner signaled an odd number of spades, so cut off dummy before trumps are drawn.

Final Notes

Thanks to all who provided comments — I read them all and appreciate your efforts, even if I didn’t use them. My policy is to publish comments only from those who scored above average (top 166 in this edition), and for each play problem I only publish comments that support the correct answer. This seems like a good method, as it provides the reader with only solid advice and avoids potential embarrassment in publishing comments that were analytically flawed. On this basis, I included 65 percent of the eligible comments.

Use of a comment does not necessarily mean I agree with it, but generally they are all worthy. Comments are quoted exactly except for corrections in spelling and grammar. Where I have included only part of a comment, an ellipsis (…) indicates where text was cut. Text in [brackets] was supplied by me to summarize a cut portion or fix an omission. Comments are listed in order of respondents’ rank, which is my only basis for sequencing. I am confident that my lengthy study of these problems, assisted by comments received, has determined the best solutions in theory, but oversights are possible. Feedback is always welcome.

I am confident that my lengthy study of these problems has determined the best defenses, but no one is perfect. Anyone who disagrees, or wishes to debate any of the recommended answers, is welcome to e-mail me (richard@rpbridge.net).

Thanks to all who responded, and especially those who offered kind remarks about my contests and polls. For now, let’s close out the Bond theme with a parting shot from our Russian agent:

Alex Perlin: The bidding given is preposterous. James Bond hasn’t defended three undoubled contracts in a row since 1960. Also, partner never has more than 5 points. Why am I stuck with this loser?

Analyses 7V40 Main Challenge

Scores Top Diamonds Are Forever

Photo is Sean Connery, definitive portrayer of Ian Fleming’s James Bond character
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© 2001 Richard Pavlicek