Bridge Test your end plays

This week’s deals

have treated end-play technique: saving a trick by forcing a defender to make a helpful lead. To test yourself, cover the East- West cards. Plan the play at four spades as South.

West leads the king of hearts and shifts to the nine of clubs. How do you proceed?

The actual declarer took the ace, drew trumps with the A-K and led a heart. West took his ace and led a third heart to dummy’s queen. South threw his diamond loser, but when the clubs broke badly, he conceded two clubs to East and went down.

DISCARD

South can succeed with an end play. He throws a club on the queen of hearts, then takes the king of clubs. If clubs broke 3-2, South could concede a club and use dummy’s last club for a diamond discard.

When clubs break 4-1, South leads the ace and a second diamond to West, whose opening bid marks him with the king. West must return a red card, and declarer ruffs in dummy and discards his last club. (He could still make four spades after he discarded a diamond at Trick Six.)

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ K 10 7 3 2 ♥ 10 6 ♦ A5 ♣ 8 6 4 3. The dealer, at your left, opens one heart. Your partner doubles, you respond one spade and he raises to two spades. South in today’s deal then bid four spades. Do you agree with his action?