Quiz 8D47   Main

Spade Detective Agency

by Richard Pavlicek

Sam Spade once said, “When a man’s partner is killed, he’s supposed to do something about it. It doesn’t make any difference what you thought of him; he was your partner and you’re supposed to do something about it.” Good point, so the first thing Sam Spade did about it was to remove Miles Archer’s name from his window sign.

Problem 1

2

3

4

5

6

Honor Roll

And so it goes in bridge: When your partner dies halfway through a session, don’t bereave! Just remove his name from your convention card and outbid the opponents every hand to make him dummy. And relax! Whenever you go set you’ll have an excuse… “I couldn’t reach the good club because dummy was dead.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, your partner is still alive. Only question is whether you will be too after playing these six contracts in spades. I don’t want to make you nervous, but I hope you have your estate plans in order. This quiz is not for the faint of heart but for the feint of spade. “When you’re slapped, you’ll take it and like it!”

Decide how you would play each contract — without peeking at the solution, which follows.

“The best goodbyes are short… Adieu!” What? You’re still here? Oh dear!

Problem 1

IMPs Both Vul	A 6 3 2 A 5 A K 3 2 J 5 3		WEST 1 Pass	North Dbl 4	East Pass All Pass	South 2
Lead: Q		East plays 9
4 South	K Q J 4 K 6 3 2 8 6 5 4 10

Which heart will you win first, and how will you proceed?

Solution below

4 South	A 6 3 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	A 5		1 W	Q	5!	9	K
	A K 3 2		2 S	10!	Q	3	4
	J 5 3		3 W	7	A	4	2
8		10 9 7 5	4 N	2!	7	4	9
Q J 10 8 7		9 4	5 W	J	6	7	3
Q J 9		10 7	6 E	6	4	2	5
A Q 9 2		K 8 7 6 4	7 S	K	8	2	5
	K Q J 4		8 S	6	8	A	10
	K 6 3 2		9 N	3	9	J	10
	8 6 5 4		10 S	Q	9	J	10
Lead: Q	10		Win the rest

Play sequence is crucial if East has four spades. Even if East had a singleton heart, chances are good (and no other play does better).

Problem 2

IMPs None Vul	J 4 Q 6 4 2 A 5 3 2 A 7 6		West Dbl1	North Pass	East Pass	SOUTH 3 Pass
Lead: K		East plays 3
3 × South	A Q 7 6 5 3 2 8 5 3 Q 9 5		1. takeout

Goal is to escape for down one. Even Bogie couldn’t make this one.

Solution below

3 × South	J 4		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	Q 6 4 2		1 W	K	A	3	5
	A 5 3 2		2 N	6!	4	2	2
	A 7 6		3 S	9!	10	A	6
—		K 10 9 8	4 N	7	9	3	8
K J 9 7		A 10	5 S	Q	K	2	7
K 10 8 4		J 7 6	6 W	J	2	10	3
K Q J 8 2		10 9 4 3	7 W	9	4	A	5
	A Q 7 6 5 3 2		8 E	J	5	4	3
	8 5 3		9 S	8	K	6	10
	Q 9		10 W	Q	5	10	6!
Lead: K	5		East is endplayed

With E-W unable to cash three hearts fluidly, trump reduction allows East to be endplayed (underruff at Trick 10).

Problem 3

IMPs N-S Vul	K Q 9 7 3 2 K 7 3 2 A 6 3		West Pass Pass Pass	North 2 4 NT 6	East 3 Pass All Pass	SOUTH 1 NT 3 5
Lead: 9
6 South	A 10 8 A 10 2 A 7 4 3 K J 4

Eleven tricks are easy, but where is the 12th?

Solution below

6 South	K Q 9 7 3 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	K 7 3		1 W	9	2	10	3!
	2		2 E	K	4	5	2
	A 6 3		3 N	K	6	10	4
J 6 5 4		—	4 N	3	8	A	5
Q 9 6		J 8 5 4	5 S	8	6	9	4
9 5		K Q J 10 8 6	6 N	Q	7	4	J
Q 8 5 2		10 9 7	7 N	7	9	J	2
	A 10 8		8 N	3	10	K	5
	A 10 2		9 S	A	6	3	J
	A 7 4 3		10 S	2	9	K	5
Lead: 9	K J 4		11 N	A	?
			East is squeezed

With diamond length East, a pure squeeze is a virtual cinch if you rectify the count without disturbing North’s threats.

Problem 4

IMPs E-W Vul	A 6 5 4 2 A K 8 5 4 8 7 5		West 1 NT Pass	NORTH 1 2 4	East 1 3 All Pass	South 1 3
Lead: Q		East plays 6
4 South	10 9 8 7 2 A 10 8 5 3 3 2 Q

If you lead a club, East wins the A and returns the Q.

Solution below

4 South	A 6 5 4		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	2		1 W	Q	A	6	2
	A K 8 5 4		2 N	5!	A	Q	3
	8 7 5		3 E	Q	2	3	A
K 3		Q J	4 N	7!	2	7	6
J 4		K Q 9 7 6	5 S	3	9	K	J
Q J 10 9 7		6	6 E	K	A	4	2
K 9 6 3		A J 10 4 2	7 S	3	J	4	6
	10 9 8 7 2		8 N	4	4	8	7
	A 10 8 5 3		9 S	5	9	5	7
	3 2		10 N	5	10	9	10
Lead: Q	Q		11 S	8
			Crossruff, lose 1

Key is to balance your trump length, then a successful elopement is assured if East ruffs your diamond winner.

Problem 5

IMPs None Vul	K J 10 9 2 K 4 2 Q 10 4 3 A		West Dbl Pass	North 4 5	East 5 All Pass	SOUTH 1 Pass
Lead: K		East plays 3
5 South	A 8 7 6 5 3 A 10 8 3 J 2 5

When you draw trumps, West is void and pitches two clubs.

Solution below

5 South	K J 10 9 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	K 4 2		1 W	K	A	3	5
	Q 10 4 3		2 N	K	4	3	2
	A		3 N	J	Q	A	4
—		Q 4	4 S	2!	8	10	A
Q J 9 5		7 6	5 E	7	A!	5	2
K 8 7 6		A 9 5	6 S	5	6	10	7
K Q 6 4 2		J 10 9 8 7 3	7 N	9	8	6	Q
	A 8 7 6 5 3		8 N	2	9	8	9
	A 10 8 3		9 S	7!	?
	J 2		W squeezed, lose 1
Lead: K	5

Only a low diamond to the 10 allows West to be squeezed in the red suits after East returns a heart (win A).

Problem 6

IMPs N-S Vul	K 10 8 7 5 A 9 7 5 A K Q 2		West 4 Pass	North 4 NT 6	EAST Pass Pass All Pass	South 1 5
Lead: K		East plays 3
6 South	A 9 6 5 4 3 A 2 Q 6 3 7 4

After winning the A, you lead a low spade. Bad news! West pitches the 4.

Solution below

6 South	K 10 8 7		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	5		1 W	K	5	3	A
	A 9 7 5		2 S	3	4	10!	J
	A K Q 2		3 E	10	4	3	A
—		Q J 2	4 N	A	2	3	4
K Q J 9 8 7 4		10 6 3	5 N	8	2	9!	7
10 8 4		K J 2	6 S	2	8	K	6
8 6 3		J 10 9 5	7 N	7	Q	A	9
	A 9 6 5 4 3		8 S	6	6	5	10
	A 2		9 S	5	J	7	J
	Q 6 3		10 S	4	8	9	?
Lead: K	7 4		East is squeezed

Conceding the first spade is necessary to retain communication to ruff a heart and unblock the A (Vienna coup) before running trumps to squeeze East.

Ding-Hwa Hsieh Wins!

These six problems were published in 2018 as a long-running contest, which is now closed. Congratulations to Ding-Hwa Hsieh (Missouri) who was the first of three to submit perfect scores. Scoring was based on how many of the first eight plays on each problem matched my recommended plays, so the best possible score was 48 (8×6). Equivalent plays or transpositions were accepted as correct.

There were 41 participants, and only one attempt was allowed for each. Only those scoring 32 or higher are listed below. Ties are broken by the date and time of entry (earliest wins).

Honor Roll

Rank	Name	Location	Score
1	Ding-Hwa Hsieh	Missouri	48
2	Wojciech Papuga	Poland	48
3	Jonathan Mestel	England	48
4	Perry Groot	Netherlands	40
5	Gareth Birdsall	England	38
6	John Reardon	England	37
7	Jean-Luc Mothes	France	34

Quiz 8D47   Main

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Acknowledgments to Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) and The Maltese Falcon.
Photo is Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade in the 1941 movie classic.
© 2018 Richard Pavlicek