There is a Way
|
 A J 9 6 4 |
|
 A 10 6 3 |
|
 A 3 2 |
|
 6 |
| K 10 8 |
|
Q 7 5 3 |
| 7 4 2 |
|
9 |
|
| Q J 7 5 | |
6 |
| 10 4 2 | |
A Q J 9 8 7 3 |
|
2 |
|
|
K Q J 8 5 |
|
|
K 10 9 8 4 |
| Opening lead: 2 of clubs |
|
K 5 |
| Contract: 6 hearts |
Sometimes I think I could do a separate category of hands with 9-card, 5-4 trump suits, splitting 3-1 with the opponents. I sure have come across a number of them lately. All would be a cakewalk on a 2-2 split, but require a little care if trump are 3-1, and yet any number of them feature declarers who leap to draw three rounds of trump before stopping to think what they need.
This was such a hand. A cakewalk on either 2-2 trump or 3-2 diamonds, especially with that club lead. What are the odds that neither will happen? Don't ask. It's not your concern. You weigh the odds when you have alternate lines of play. Otherwise, your task is to find the line the brings the contract home.
Opening lead a club to the A, and a club continued as declarer rightly sluffs a diamond in dummy. Cash two rounds of trump, at least one of which is from an honor in the closed hand (i.e., don't cash the A 10 of trump, leaving the 6 the highest heart showing). Ah, what luck! Trump splitting 3-1. Well, now, let's take two rounds of diamonds. Before the last trump is out? Absolutely. If the suit is splitting 3-2, two rounds are safe, and you'll now draw the last trump, ruff a diamond in dummy and claim. And if diamonds are not splitting 3-2, then you're going to need to ruff twice in dummy, no? [Actually, given the 10 9 of diamonds, there is a possibility of drawing a stiff honor from East and getting by with one ruff in dummy, but you'll find that's not going to be the case on the first round of diamonds.]
But wait! If diamonds are not splitting 3-2, won't there be a danger in cashing a second round? Of course there will be, and I would say that if you're ruffed on that second round of diamonds, you can't make the hand. But there is one situation where cashing that second round of diamonds will serve you well, and that's when trump are 3-1, diamonds 4-1, and the same person has both singletons. Then you're going to be glad you didn't cash that third round of trump and bank everything on 3-2 diamonds. As here.
Hence, at trick three & four, two rounds of trump as above, noting East's discard. Then two rounds of diamonds, ending in the closed hand, noting that East shows out here also. Now ruff a diamond, ace of spades, ruff, ruff a diamond, ruff a spade, and at trick twelve, draw the last trump and claim with the 8 of diamonds.
And this declarer? Well, starting at trick 3, he took three rounds of trump. Now he can't make the hand. So talk about risk! Where is the greater risk? Taking two rounds of trump and then testing diamonds and getting two ruffs as outlined, or rushing to cash three rounds of trump?
You have to remember that if your bidding is sound and you pursue a reasonable line of play, you're going to have company in duplicate bridge and going down on occasion isn't going to queer your score. I can't begin to say how many contracts have been kicked away by declarers who declined to take a risk early and by so doing, ensured that they'd lose two tricks later. Please bear in mind the relative risks here, as just mentioned above.