| Dlr: South | ♠ A K Q J | |
| Vul: E-W | ♥ K 9 7 5 2 | |
| ♦ 4 | ||
| ♣ A 7 2 | ||
| ♠ 10 9 8 5 | ||
| ♥ A 3 | ||
| ♦ A 9 8 6 3 2 | ||
| ♣ 3 |
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | |||
| Pass | 1♥ | Pass | 1♠ |
| Pass | 4♦ | Pass | 4♥ |
| Pass | 4NT | Pass | 5♦ |
| Pass | 6♠ | All Pass |
Against your slam, West leads a low trump, killing your chances of a crossruff. After that start, do you have a plan for getting to 12 tricks?
Solution
Rather than relying on hearts or diamonds to be 3-3, declarer decided to play for trumps 3-2 and the red suits no worse than 4-2. After winning the first trick with the ♠J, declarer played a diamond to his ace and ruffed a diamond. Next, he cashed the ♥K and played a heart to his ace. After ruffing a second diamond in dummy, declarer ruffed a heart and ruffed a diamond with dummy’s last trump, setting up two diamond winners in hand. After ruffing another heart, thereby establishing dummy’s ♥9, declarer drew a second round of trumps with the 10, throwing a low club from dummy. Then he led a good diamond and threw dummy’s remaining club on it as West ruffed. He took the last two tricks with the ♣A and ♥9. The full deal:
| Dlr: South | ♠ A K Q J | |
| Vul: E-W | ♥ K 9 7 5 2 | |
| ♦ 4 | ||
| ♣ A 7 2 | ||
| ♠ 7 3 2 | ♠ 6 4 | |
| ♥ Q 10 6 4 | ♥ J 8 | |
| ♦ K J | ♦ Q10 7 5 | |
| ♣ Q 10 5 4 | ♣ K J 9 8 6 | |
| ♠ 10 9 8 5 | ||
| ♥ A 3 | ||
| ♦ A 9 8 6 3 2 | ||
| ♣ 3 |