Both fight well, but who wins?

George Bernard Shaw said, “Marriage is popular because it combines the maximum of temptation with the maximum of opportunity.”

Yesterday, I gave a deal in which both East and South played to the maximum. Here is another. What should happen in six hearts after West has led the spade jack?

In the auction, after North raised hearts, South launched Roman Key Card Blackwood. North showed two key cards (the diamond ace and heart king) and the heart queen. South then bid what he thought he could make. He wondered about a grand slam, but realized that his partner couldn’t have both black-suit kings, because he would have either opened one no-trump or rebid three hearts.

South saw that he was faced with two potential club losers. Was there any chance if West had the club king?

Yes, declarer spotted one possibility. He won with his spade ace, drew trumps leaving the king on the board, cashed the diamond ace, ruffed the diamond two and took his other two spade winners, ending on the board. Then he called for the diamond 10.

If East had carelessly played low, thinking South was going to ruff, declarer would have discarded the club four. This would have endplayed West, forcing him either to lead away from the club king into South’s ace-queen, or to concede a ruff-and-sluff. However, East was wide awake. He put up the diamond king.

Now declarer did his best. He ruffed, cashed the club ace, crossed to the board and played a club toward his queen. However, he had to fall to defeat. Well played East and South!