Puzzle This

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When opportunity knocks

North
♠ J 8 7
♥ Q 10 5 3 2
♦ K Q J 5
♣ 7
East
♠ A 5 3
♥ 7
♦ 10 8 7 4 3
♣ Q 4 3 2

South opens 1♠ and eventually reaches 4♠ after your partner makes a Michaels cuebid (hearts and a minor). West leads the ♥K, South following with the 8. West now switches to the ♦2. Declarer takes that in dummy and plays the ♣7 to the 10 and partner’s ace. Now partner plays the ♥A. You’re up.

View Solution
North
♠ J 8 7
♥ Q 10 5 3 2
♦ K Q J 5
♣ 7
West
♠ 6
♥ A K J 9 6 4
♦ 2
♣ A 9 8 6 5
East
♠ A 5 3
♥ 7
♦ 10 8 7 4 3
♣ Q 4 3 2
South
♠ K Q 10 9 4 2
♥ 8
♦ A 9 6
♣ K J 10

Try to picture the unseen hands. Partner’s ♦2 looks like a singleton or low from three. If it is from three, that means partner has no trumps (he promises 10 cards in hearts and clubs, after all), so you have no chance to defeat the contract.

What if partner’s ♦2 is a singleton? Well, that means he can get a ruff if you can get in. If West’s ♥K is cashing, your trump ace will take the second trick, but what if the actual deal is as follows?

The only play to defeat the contract is to ruff partner’s ♥A with your trump ace and give partner a diamond ruff for the setting trick.

At the Manhattan Bridge Club in New York City, Marvin Levine of Northport NY made the key play to defeat the contract. As you can see, declarer could have succeeded by playing a trump at trick two, but that’s neither here nor there. Once declarer erred, it was your job to find the killing defense.

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