Contract Bridge

Two double-dummy problems 1. Spades are trump, and it’s your lead with the South hand. How would you make all the tricks?

Cash the diamond ace and lead the jack. If West covers with the queen, ruff in dummy, overtake the king of clubs with your ace and play the queen of spades, placing East under severe pressure.

He cannot spare a heart, which would make all of dummy’s hearts good; he cannot spare the diamond ten because you’d then cash your eight, squeezing him again; nor can he spare the club queen because you’d cash your ten, continuing the remorseless squeeze.

If West ducks the diamond jack, you discard a heart from dummy, ruff the diamond eight, overtake the club king and play the queen of spades, placing East once again in the same hopeless predicament.

2. You are on the lead with the South hand and, with diamonds as trump, must make five of the last six tricks. How would you proceed?

Play a spade to the ace and ruff a spade. East is forced to discard a club on this trick and, furthermore, must discard the ace. (If he discards the queen, you play the deuce of clubs next and discard a heart from dummy, forcing East to win and return a heart into dummy’s A-Q.)

Now lead the deuce of clubs. If West plays low, you discard a heart, forcing East to win and return a heart. If West instead goes up with the king of clubs to stop East from being endplayed, you ruff in dummy and play the six of hearts. If East wins the heart, he must yield two heart tricks to dummy; if West wins the heart, he must yield two club tricks to your 6-4!