Declarer suffers from a strip

Bil Keane, who started the “Family Circus” cartoon, said, “I think it’s a novelty for cartoon characters to cross over into another strip or panel occasionally.” Some cartoonists do that with humor. Bill Amend’s “FoxTrot” comes to my mind.

We have a strip in bridge too, when a player is forced to lead away from an honor and lose a trick in the process. Usually it is executed by declarer, but sometimes the defenders can denude declarer.

In today’s deal, how do the defenders defeat four spades by two tricks after West leads the diamond 10?

In the auction, South judged that he was a tad too strong to open four spades. North’s redouble promised at least 10 points and fewer than four spades. Then, either North-South bought the contract or East-West played in something doubled for penalty. After East jumped to show his long club suit, South bid what he hoped he could make. (Note that five clubs doubled should cost 800.)

The defenders must take one spade, two hearts, one diamond and one club. But to get those heart tricks, East-West must keep declarer out of the dummy; otherwise, he can play a heart to his 10 (an easy guess, given West’s takeout double).

After the diamond-10 lead, East plays low. (If he wins, South unblocks his king and later overtakes his jack with dummy’s queen.) Suppose South continues with his club. West wins, cashes the spade ace and plays a second diamond. East takes that trick and exits with his last trump, endplaying South in his hand to lead away from the heart king-10.