Seeing through cards #12

Dealer West. East-West Vul. Difficulty level: Hard.


You are playing 4♥. West lead the ♠4. You tried the ♠Q, but East covered with the ♠K. This one is a real challenge! Let's see if you make it!

1. Where is the ♠J?
2. Where is the ♣A?
3. Where is the ♣K?
4. Where is the ♣Q?
5. Where is the ♥K?
6. Where is the ♦Q?
7. Do you win the trick? If so, what will you play next? If not, why not?

Solution: 

Where is the ♠J?
With West. West lead a low card which promises an honor. Since the ♠K turned up with East, the ♠J must be with West.

Where is the ♣A?
With West. First, if East has the ♣A, it means that West doesn't have 12 points for his opening or his 3♠ bid, vul against not. But even if he chose to open light due to his 6-carder, he would have had the ♣KQ, and no doubt he would prefer to lead the ♣K, rather than underlead a low spade from his ♠J.

Where is the ♣K?
With East. If West would have had the ♣AK, he would surly lead a top club.

Where is the ♣Q?
With West. If East has ♠K and ♣KQ, then West would have only 10 points which doesn't justify his opening nor his 3♠ bid.

Where is the ♥K?
With West. East has both black kings, so West has all the rest.

Where is the ♦Q?
With West.

Do you win the trick? If so, what will you play next? If not, why not?
Win the ♠A and continue diamond at trick 2, finessing to the ♦10 when West plays low. Cash the ♦A, and continue with a heart to the ♥A (you might drop the ♥K). After both opponents followed low to the ♥A, continue with the ♦K, throwing a spade from dummy. Now ruff your spade loser in dummy. You will lose in total only one heart and 2 clubs. If you play the ♥A at trick 2, you have no entry later on to the ♦K. You have 4 immediate losers. You must therefore throw the spade before losing the lead.

Things to remember:

• Timing is a valuable term in playing the hand and in defense. Timing means: When to play each particular suit, When to win a trick, when to hold up, how many entries are needed etc. In other words Timing is the order you play the cards. Also in the given hand Timing is highly important. Any other way to play it will make the contract fail: You must win the lead, finesse diamonds at trick 2, cash ♦A, and keep the ♥A as an entry to the last diamond for a spade discard.
• If you play a suit contract and you are missing the Ace and the King in a side suit, and the opening lead was another suit, away from an honor, that means that the leader doesn't have the AK. If you miss the AKQ in the same suit, and the opponent on lead has most of the missing points, it's likely he has the AQ.
• Try to avoid underleading a suit headed by the J (prefer leading low from Qxxx rather than Jxxx).

Oren's Double Dummy Challenge #27**

The rules are simple. You get the contract and the lead. You may look at all cards and play accordingly (you are always South). However, the defense can do the same, and they never make mistakes. You must find a way to make the contract against any defense.

Oren's Double Dummy Challenge - 27**

You are playing 3NT. West leads the ♣8. You must make your contract against any defense. Good luck!
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** Difficulty level: medium.

Oren's Double Dummy Challenge - 26****

The rules are simple. You get the contract and the lead. You may look at all cards and play accordingly (you are always South). However, the defense can do the same, and they never make mistakes. You must find a way to make the contract against any defense.



You are playing 3NT. West leads the ♠AK. You must make your contract against any defense. Good luck!
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**** Difficulty level: evil.













Solution: 


On the 2nd spade throw the ♥A!

If West continues with the ♠J, throw the ♥Q from hand. East must play low on the ♠J or the ♠10 will get promoted.

If West will switch to hearts: Finesse to the ♥10, play club, capturing East's ♣KJ with the ♣AQ, cash the ♦A and continue with a 3rd club. West wins with the ♣10 and is forced to continue with hearts. Win with the ♥K, and continue with your 2 top clubs.

The last club squeezes East:
- If he keeps the ♠Q, he must throw a diamond, and the last diamond in hand becomes high
- If he throws the ♠Q then the ♠10 in dummy is high.

If, at trick 4, West switches to the ♦10 - play the ♦J from dummy, and when East covers with the ♦Q - win it with the ♦K. Play heart to the ♥10, continue with club, capturing East's ♣KJ with the ♣AQ, and play a 3rd club. East again is forced to win and play heart to dummy's ♥K. Continue with diamond from dummy and finesse to the ♦8 when East plays low. You will lose only 3 spades and 1 club.

If West switches to club a trick 4: Win with the ♣AQ , finesse heart to the ♥10, play the ♦J, capturing East's ♦Q with your ♦A and continue with your 3rd club, reaching the same position as before.

If West doesn’t continue with the ♠J but switches to heart at trick 2 – play the ♥10 from dummy, continue with the ♦J , taking the ♦K when East covers, return to dummy with ♥Q to the ♥K, finesse diamond again and you have 6 diamonds, 1 club and 2 hearts. (If West plays the ♥J – you take with the ♥K and unblock the ♥Q from hand, promoting the ♥10).

If West continues with a diamond at trick 3 – Play the ♦J and win in hand when East covers with the ♦Q. Play heart to dummy, finesse diamond again, and you have 9 tricks as before.

If West continues with a club at trick 3 – Win cheaply in hand and play a low diamond to the ♦J. East will win this, but the spade suit is still blocked. Whatever he continues, you will enter dummy with heart, finesse diamond and make 5 diamonds, 2 clubs and 2 hearts. Notice that if after winning with the club you play heart, West might rise with the ♥J, and you no longer have 2 entries for 2 diamond finesses.

Well done to everyone who solved the problem!