Test Your Play

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1. IMPs

Dlr:
West
Vul:
E-W
North
♠ 9 8 7
♥ 9 8 5 4
♦ 6 4
♣ A 9 7 5
South
♠ Q 10
♥ A K J 10 7
♦ A K Q J
♣ Q J
WEst North East South
Pass Pass Pass 2♣(1)
Pass 2♦ Pass 2♥
Pass 3♥ Pass 4♥
All Pass

(1) Might be the worst 23-point hand ever!

Opening lead: ♠A. West continues with the ♠K at trick two and the ♠J at trick three.

You ruff with the ♥10 to keep in entry practice.

At tricks four and five, you cash the ♥A K, East discarding an encouraging club on the second heart. Take over from here.

CLICK HERE FOR SOLUTION

Your options are limited, very limited. You’ve lost two spade tricks, you have a trump loser and East must have the ♣K, given West’s original pass having already turned up with 10 HCP, not to mention East’s signal.

You might try a swindle play like leading the ♣Q to the ace and then a low club to your jack or vice versa. But in either case, it can’t hurt East to go up with the ♣K. Even if you ruff, East still has the ♣10 8 over dummy’s 9.

There is a legitimate play for the contract, however, if West started life with a singleton or void in clubs. Lead a club to the ace. West can’t afford to ruff a loser (air) with the ♥Q if he is void, so he discards instead. But even if he follows to the first club, win the ♣A, cash your four diamond winners and toss West in with the ♥Q. If you get lucky and find West with, say, a 4=3=5=1 or a 3=3=6=1 pattern, he will be endplayed and forced to give you a ruff-sluff, eliminating your club loser.

2. IMPs

Dlr:
South
Vul:
None
North
♠ 8 6 4 3
♥ K J
♦ A 5 4
♣ A 8 3 2
South
♠ Q
♥ A Q 10 9 4
♦ K Q 6
♣ Q J 6 5
WEst North East South
1♥
1♠ 2♣ Pass 3♣
Pass 3♥ Pass 4♥
All Pass

Opening lead: ♠A. East follows with the ♠2.

North owes you a heart, but, then again, the ♥K J are not chopped liver. West continues with the ♠K, East playing the ♠5. Plan the play.

CLICK HERE FOR SOLUTION

You are playing IMPs, so you need only two club tricks as long as you don’t lose control when hearts are 4–2 and East has the ♣K. You retain control if you discard a club on the second spade and ruff the third, exhausting East of spades. Then it is safe to draw trumps. Even if hearts are 4–2, you can finesse clubs into East, and even if it loses, you still take 10 tricks: five hearts, three diamonds and two clubs.