Answer to

Hand of the week commencing Sunday 25th February 2007

 

 Plan your play in 7¨ after West leads  §2 ?

 

 

 

Dealer South

ª

 9  

 

 

 

Game all

©

Q 8

 

 

 

 

¨

K Q 5 4

 

 

 

 

§

A K Q J 6 3

 

 

 

 

 

N

 

 

ª

 Q J 7 6 5 2

 

 

ª

 K 10 8 4  

©

 K 2

 

W                          E

©

 9 7 6 3

¨

 9 8 6 2

 

 

¨

 10

§

 2

 

 

§

 10 9 7 5

 

 

 

S

 

 

 

 

ª

A 3

 

 

 

 

©

A J 10 5 4

 

 

 

 

¨

A J 7  3

 

 

 

 

§

8 4

 

 

W

N

E

S

 

 

 

 

 1©

 

 NO

 2§

 NO

 2¨

 

NO

4NT*

NO

 5§**       * RKC Blackwood

 

NO

7¨

NO

NO           ** 0 or 3 Key Cards (Aces)

 

NO

 

 

 

 

 

On the surface this looks like one of the easiest hands to appear in this column. However, if you play too quickly you will see what happened when an opponent of mine played it. They won the first trick, drew two rounds of trumps with a High honour from each hand then it was too late. They could no longer get back to hand to ruff a Spade and then return to dummy via a Club without it being ruffed by West.

If you count your winners at trick one then you will see that it is only a matter of ruffing a Spade in dummy for your 13th trick. Re winners, you have 1 Spade , 1 Heart, 4 Diamonds and 4 Clubs-total 10. If clubs  are no worse than 41 and that position is revealed after the lead you have two more established clubs. Needing just a ruff in Spades for your 13th trick why not take it immediately. Now when the diamonds break 40 you will be able to draw all the trumps without the embarrassment of going down.

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