Mind Your Assets

You are playing in a teams event. Against your spade game, West leads the ♥10. How will you play to get to 10 tricks?

Solution

On this seemingly routine board, the opening lead was the same at both tables. Each declarer won the first trick with ♥A, looking at 11 tricks if both black suits were favorably distributed.

Also, it was obvious that, to have any chance of making 10 tricks, the declarers needed spades 3-2 with the ♠Q onside. The alternative plan of cashing the top two trumps before turning to clubs had a significantly lower chance of success.

At trick two, the first declarer led a trump to dummy’s ace, then led the ♠2 to the 10 and his jack.

After this held, declarer drew East’s remaining trump with his king then played on clubs. When the clubs proved to be 4-1, he could no longer make his contract.

At the other table, declarer led a low club to dummy’s king at trick two and continued with a low trump to the jack. This declarer cashed the ♠K and, instead of drawing the last trump, cashed the ♣Q. He continued with a club to dummy’s ace in order to ruff a club and establish the ♣8 as a winner. All that remained was to draw the last trump with dummy’s ace and cash his 10th trick, the 13th club. The full deal: