IMPROVE YOUR PLAY

with Larry Matheny

While many hands are difficult to defend, often a little more thought will help solve the problem. In this hand, the defender played too quickly and declarer was the victor.

Scoring: Matchpoints (Pairs)

Hand #12-39
Dlr	N
Vul	N/S

	A654
	8
	KQ983
	K86

	1092
	J952
	J1075
	42

	J
	Q74
	A42
	AQJ1073

	KQ873
	AK1063
	6
	95

West	North	East	South
	1	2	2
Pass	4	Pass	Pass
Pass

Bidding: North-South reached a routine game contract.

Play: West led the four of clubs to East’s ten. East knew declarer must hold most of the missing honor cards so he felt his only chance for a fourth trick was to promote a trump trick. He continued at trick two with the ace of clubs and then led a third round. But, declarer simply discarded his diamond loser and West ruffed. It was now easy for declarer to win any return and draw trumps.

East must cash the ace of diamonds before leading the third round of clubs. Declarer had no answer to this and the ten of spades became the setting trick.

Copyright ©2012 Larry Matheny