Can You Make on a Spade Lead . . on a Diamond Lead?


Can You Make?


On any defense?

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K Q 8 6
A Q 8 7 3
9 6 5 2
J 8 7 4 3 A Q 9 5
5 3 J 9 4
9 5 4 2 J 10 6
J 4 K 8 3
K 10 6 2
A 10 7 2
K Contract: 6 hearts
A Q 10 7 Opening lead: spade or diamond

Can you make on a spade opening lead? On a diamond? The answer can only be yep, yep. But you can't make if you ruff a spade opening lead. That cuts you down to three trump and you'll have to lose the lead once in clubs, which means that the defense can either cut you down to two trump, wiping out the potential of the diamonds which can only be used when all trump are out, or they'll get the lead when you have no more trump in dummy at all.
You'll have to duck a spade lead, sluffing a club. You'll subsequently sluff another club on the king. Now you only have to worry about the second round of clubs, and bingo. The king is onsides. For giving up the ace of spades, you get two club sluffs and avoid a club loser. Not a bad trade, huh? Hence: say a spade is returned. You win, sluffing another club, cash the king of diamonds, heart to the K, ruff a diamond, ace of hearts, heart to the queen, run diamonds sluffing (almost) anything, and now take the club hook for your contract.
On a diamond lead, you go to the king of hearts, ruff a diamond, ace of hearts, back to the queen and run diamonds, sluffing spades. How many trump do you have left? Well, none in the closed hand, and only one in dummy. But fortunately it's almost impossible to misplay the clubs. If you finesse into the J first round, then you must continue with the second half of the double. Or if you finesse the queen and cash the ace, you'll see that you only have to lose a trick to the king and claim.