Today's deal is from a match-point tournament where the declarers at all the tables failed to find the correct play. They went down in the contract because they did not anticipate the hidden threat. See if you can do better.
Contract: 4 S by south. West leads the S 4. Plan the play.
Bidding Explanation: The raise to two spades by north, though with only three trumps, was excellent bidding. South showed game interest by his 3 D bid. North was only too glad to bid 4 S because of his 3-1-4-5 distribution and 14 points.
Analysis: It appears that declarer has ten easy tricks; five trumps, four diamonds, and one heart ruff.
How the play went: The opening lead was the same in all the tables. Without exception, all declarers won the trump lead with the S Q and played a heart. West won with the H A and returned the jack of diamonds to dummy's ace. Entering hand with S K, declarer ruffed the heart and got out with C Q from dummy. East won with the king and locked declarer in dummy by playing a second diamond. Dummy exited again in a club. East won with the ten and played a third diamond for his partner to ruff. Result: Down one, +100 to EW.
Correct play: Instead of trying to ruff the heart in dummy, declarer should try to establish the fifth club for discarding his losing heart. So, the correct play is to exit in a small club at trick two! The defence will win the club and return a diamond as before. Win and exit in a second club. East's best continuation is to play a second diamond. Win and ruff a club high, draw trumps, cross to dummy again in a diamond, ruff the fourth club to set up the suit. Enter dummy by diamond three to enjoy the club to claim the contract. That would mean you should retain the diamond two till the very last!
Discussion: Why did all the declarers play a heart at trick two? Simply they failed to anticipate the danger of the diamond ruff, the hidden threat.
Let us suppose west starts with a diamond lead. Declarer should win and exit in a heart and use the trump entry to hand for ruffing the losing heart in dummy.
After the trump lead, declarer should give up the idea of ruffing a heart in dummy because of the entry problem to his hand for drawing the last trump. Only a Robert Hamman or a Benitto Garrozo will anticipate the problem and come up with the alternative plan of setting up a club winner for the heart discard. It is practically impossible for the others to find the play at the table.
Isn't it strange that you should plan to discard the losing heart on the fifth club rather than ruffing it in dummy? Funny game, this! Play out the deal with a deck of cards. You will find it interesting and instructive.
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