Hand of the Week
| West | North | East | South |
| 1♠ | |||
| Pass | 1NT(1) | Pass | 2♣(2) |
| Pass | 3♠ | Pass | 4♠ |
| All Pass |
(1) Forcing for one round.
(2) A forced rebid on 5-3-3-2 shape
West leads the ♠2 against your spade game. How do you plan to take 10 tricks?
Solution
You have nine top tricks, and without that infuriating trump lead you would have set about ruffing a heart in dummy. Alas that plan has little chance now as the defenders will surely be able to organize a trump return any time you concede a heart.
Another possible way home is to duck a club at trick two. If the clubs are 3-3 you will make 10 tricks. That plan will not succeed, however, when the full deal is:
The best line of attack succeeds on this layout but it is one that is a blind spot for most players – a dummy reversal, which succeeds by ruffing two diamonds and a club in hand.
So, after winning the trump lead cheaply in hand you cash the ♦A and ♦K and ruff a diamond with the ♠K. Next you cash the ♣K and ♣A and ruff a second diamond with the ♠A.
Now it is time to give up a club. Suppose East wins and plays a heart to West, who exits with a second round of trumps. After you win this in dummy, all that remains to be done is to ruff dummy’s fourth club with the ♠10. You have made two trumps, four tricks with the ace-kings and taken three ruffs in hand. That is nine tricks and dummy’s jack of trumps will be the 10th.
Notice that if you still had the ace and king of trumps when you conceded the club trick you would have to win the second round of trumps in hand. Then, with no way back to the table, you would have to concede defeat.