5th Jan 2022


Dealer N Game All

S 753
H J1095
D 106
C AJ63
   


   
S J6
H AKQ3
D AQ3
C K873

South
West
North
East


Pass
Pass
1C 1S Double Pass
4H Pass
Pass Pass


Another deal from the Tollemache qualifier.

You reach four hearts, West starts with the three top spades, East following.
You trump high, draw trumps in four rounds, West having a singleton and then play the king of clubs followed by a club to the jack which holds, East showing out.
West has thrown two small diamonds and a spade on the trumps and East two small diamonds on the clubs.
How do you play?

Scroll down for solution

































Solution


You can count West for a 5134 distribution and East for 3451.  If West had thrown all his spades you would have been able to throw him in with a club to lead a diamond into your AQ.  The question is who has the diamond king?  Alec Smalley reasoned that if East had the diamond king he would have raised to two spades, so played a diamond to the ace dropping the now singleton king.  Well played by Alec and well defended by Steve Allen of Hertfordshire.

The full deal was

Dealer North
S
753
   
Game All
H
J1095
   
    D 106
   
    C AJ63
   
S
AKQ98
    S
1042
H
2
    H
8764
D
K74
    D
J9852
C
Q1094
    C
5
    S
J6
   
    H
AKQ3
   
    D
AQ3
   
    C
K872
   

Phil Taylor points out that the hand is laydown at the point where you play a diamond, either the ace will drop the king or, if East has the king, you can play a club to dummy and a diamond to hand.  Since East only has diamonds left you cannot be prevented from winning the diamond queen.

Thanks to John Roberts for reporting this deal