Bidding Quiz BRIDGE
Test your play
You are declarer with the West hand at Six Spades, and North leads the jack of clubs, which you ruff. How would you play the hand? ***
First, you should conclude that the slam cannot be made if the trumps are divided 4-1. This is because if either defender had four trumps and you drew them, you’d have no more trumps and would automatically go down two. You therefore start by assuming a 3-2 trump division.
You next consider how the missing five hearts might be divided. Again you make an assumption before proceeding. Oddly enough, this time you assume that the hearts are not divided 3-2 because, if they are, you are sure to succeed with any reasonable line of play.
It’s not that you don’t want the hearts to be divided 3-2 -- you’d be delighted if they were -- but that you would like to arrange your play so as to guard against a 4-1 division, if possible (you have no chance against a 5-0 break).
Once you assume the 4-1 heart division, you have to decide how to handle the case where North has four hearts, and then the case where South has them. One approach to dealing with the problem is to imagine that North has a hand such as ♠ 62 ♥ QJ73 ♦ 842 ♣ J1085 and proceed from there.
At trick two, you cash the ace of hearts, on which South plays the ten. Next you cross to dummy with a diamond and lead another heart. If South ruffs, you later play two rounds of trump, cash the king of hearts, ruff a heart in dummy and so make the slam. If South does not ruff, you win the heart with the king, concede a heart to North and later ruff a heart high in dummy to produce 12 tricks.
If North has the singleton ten, jack or queen of hearts, the play is even simpler. After cashing the heart ace and seeing the ten, jack or queen appear on your left, you draw three rounds of trump ending in dummy and then lead a heart. If South follows low, you finesse the nine; if South produces one of the two missing honors, you win with the king and return the nine to establish your two remaining hearts.
Finally, if both defenders follow low on the ace of hearts at trick two, your best chance is to cross dummy with a diamond and return a heart toward your K-9-8-5, playing the king if South follows suit. Tomorrow: You, too, can be a magician.
(c)2021 King Features Syndicate Inc.