Contract Bridge

1. Win the club lead with the queen and play the ace next. If both opponents follow suit, cash the king of clubs, hoping for a 3- 3 division that will give you your ninth trick.

If the clubs prove to be divided 4-2, lead a low spade and also play low from dummy! Then, after winning the heart or diamond return, play a low spade to the ace. Assuming nothing noteworthy occurs, next lead a spade toward your Q- 8.

This line of play will make the contract if: (1) The opposing clubs are divided 3- 3;

(2) either opponent has the singleton king of spades; (3) either opponent has the doubleton king of spades; (4) the opposing spades are divided 3-3; (5) South has any number of spades including the king.

Note that your low spade play from each hand the first time you lead the suit covers the case where North has the K-x, which you wouldn’t discover if you started the suit by playing the ace and another spade to the queen. This delicate safety play significantly increases your chances of making the contract.

2. The contract cannot be defeated, regardless of how the opposing cards are distributed. Win the diamond lead with the king and play the ace of clubs followed by a low club toward dummy. If the missing clubs are divided 3-2, you have 12 easy tricks, so let’s assume they’re 4-1 or 5- 0.

If North has four or five clubs to the K-10, he cannot afford to go up with the king at trick three because you’d then have 12 tricks. So let’s say he plays low on the second club, and you win the trick with dummy’s jack. After South shows out, you return to your hand with a diamond and lead the jack of spades, planning to finesse if North follows low. This assures you of 12 tricks wherever the spade queen is located.

Finally, if South is the one with four or five clubs to the K-10, he wins dummy’s jack of clubs with the king, but this leaves you with a marked finesse against South’s ten for your 12th trick.