Inviting a Force

	Q 7 4
	A K 3
	K Q 10 3
	6 3
K		A 8 6 5
Q 7 6 5		9 8 4
J 7 6 5 2		A 9 8 4
9 5 4		Q 8
	J 10 9 3 2
	J 10 2
	------	Contract: 4 spades
	A K J 10 7	Opening lead: 5 of diamonds

On two consecutive days I picked up hands that weren't pure forces leading to declarer's defeat, but where declarer invited the forcing game that did just that.

Declarer got what might have been a very favorable lead, except that since the heart finesse is on anyway, and it cuts declarer's trump length down to 4. So it wasn't really a favorable lead, unless this was the type of guy who hates finesses. But declarer didn't need to turn it into a disadvangage. Declarer now led a low spade, West winning with the K and shifting to a heart. Up went the A, declarer then cashed the K of diamonds, sluffing the 10 of hearts, now leading the Q of spades. East went up and led a low diamond, which declarer ruffed . . . cutting himself down to how many trump? Well, he's only got one left! Two leads and two ruffs leave him rather stripped.

Declarer can't draw East's trump when the defender has one more, for East would simply ruff on the third round of clubs, for the 3rd trump winner for the defense, and they could then cash two diamond winners for down two. But it's no better to go after clubs. East ruffs the third round, again, for a third trump winner, forces declarer with a diamond lead, and ruffs the fourth round of clubs and the defense again cashes two diamonds.

Declarer had no reason whatsoever for cashing the Q of diamonds so as to discard a heart. That was only the first round of hearts, so declarer always has access to that Q of diamonds in dummy, and his task is to get out trump so as then to be able to cash his top winners. And with complete control of all the side suits, declarer had ample resources to draw East's trump where they have the same length (after trick 3). But he invited the forcing game to his presumed regret.