Six Spades Was A Difficult Contract To Make
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday November 12, 2001
This difficult slam contract was played at both tables in the round robin match between Norway and Poland, during the Bermuda Bowl in Paris:
Final contract: 6S by South, after East had opened 4H at both tables
Opening lead: DA
The contract and lead were the same at both tables. Both declarers began by cross-ruffing diamonds and hearts for the first six tricks and could not then make the contract. With that additional information, you are invited to treat this deal as a double dummy problem before reading on, namely how to make six spades against the lead of the ace of diamonds?
Both Wests forsook the lead of partner's suit, hearts, presumably in the hope of obtaining two quick diamond tricks, or a ruff. The contract can't be made on a heart lead, but the joke is that underleading the ace of diamonds will also beat the contract. Only a club lead, or the ace of diamonds, allows declarer to make. To do so, declarer must reach a five-card ending, having ruffed his three hearts, preserved the K-10 of diamonds in dummy along with three clubs and be in hand to lead his last two trumps. Thus ruff the diamond lead, ruff a heart, trump to hand, ruff a heart high, trump to the ace, ruff the last heart high, ruff a low diamond and cash a trump to reach this position, with the lead in hand:
When the last spade is led, West is fixed. If he throws a diamond, declarer will exit with a low club. Whatever card West returns, declarer will be able to make two diamond tricks in dummy. And if West discards a club instead of a diamond, the club suit can be brought in for only one loser.
© 2001 Sydney Morning Herald