Bidding Quiz BRIDGE
Test your play
1. You are declarer with the West hand at Four Hearts, and North leads the jack of diamonds. Assuming trumps are divided no worse than 3-1, how would you play the hand?
West East
J53 Q742
AJ962 K Q 10 4
AQ7 K4
AQ 10 8 3
2. You are declarer with the West hand at Three Notrump. North leads the five of hearts, on which South plays the jack. How would you play the hand?
West East
A94 KJ
KQ7 842
K 10 8 3 A94
J 10 5 AK963
***
1. Win the jack of diamonds with the king and draw trump. Next cash the A-Q of diamonds, discarding a club from dummy. Then, to assure the contract, play the A-Q of clubs!
The defender who wins the queen of clubs with the king must either return a spade -- in which case you lose only two spade tricks -- or concede a ruff-anddiscard by returning a diamond or a club.
The tempting club finesse should be deliberately avoided because, if it fails, a club return might well result in your losing three spade tricks and the contract. There is no reason to incur such a risk when you have a sure thing by playing otherwise.
Of course, if you run into a 4-0 trump division (a 10% possibility), your best chance would lie in eventually attempting the club finesse. But if the trumps are divided 2-2 or 3-1, the suggested line of play is 100 percent to succeed.
2. Assuming North has heart length, the only threat to the contract is if North has five hearts headed by the ace and South has the club queen. In that case you will go down if you win the first heart and the club finesse subsequently loses to the South, who then returns his remaining heart.
To keep this from happening, you should refuse to win the first heart. South can’t harm you by shifting to another suit, so let’s assume he returns a heart. North can win and continue hearts, but now if the club finesse loses, North cannot regain the lead, so you are sure to finish with at least nine tricks.
Note that if North started with only four hearts, you can’t lose more than four tricks -- three hearts and a club -- no matter how you or the defenders proceed.
Tomorrow: Hot potato.