The Falcon Is Found!

Sculpted by crusaders in 16th century Malta, the solid-gold jewel-encrusted statuette was stolen by pirates and lost for hundreds of years. In the mid-1800s it resurfaced in Paris but wasn’t seen again until 1923 in Athens, where an antiques dealer covered it in black enamel to disguise its precious value.

Ten years later it was traced to the Istanbul home of a Russian general, then it was stolen and shipped to San Francisco but never found. Detective Sam Spade came close — alas, his partner was killed as a consequence, and the Bird turned out to be a fake.

Finally, in June of 2004 we can put an end to this mystery. Last week I acquired the Falcon from a Gypsy who had no idea of its worth, and it now sits proudly on my mantle. Priceless? Not really, as I’ve appraised it at $28 million. Being a generous guy, I am offering it on eBay for only $27 million, plus shipping and handling.

To celebrate my new wealth, I invite you to try this declarer-play challenge. In honor of Sam Spade, each contract is in spades, progressing from 1 to 6 . As South, choose your play from the choices listed. Each option is rated on a 1-to-10 scale per my judgment.

Bidding is standard (unless noted). Opponents use standard leads and signals.
For a reference see Standard American Bridge. Assume all players are experts.

In June of 2004 these problems were presented as a contest with 891 entrants from 117 locations. The contest is closed, but you can still quiz yourself and find your score immediately. If you’re lucky, you might even win a valuable prize.*

*Prizes include four Falcon replicas (porcelain with faux jewels) and a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live with David Spade.
Winners must be at least 18 years of age and spayed or neutered. Employees of Spade and PavCo are ineligible.

Are you ready for the Black Bird? Or shall we call a spade a spade? To score well, you’ll need the stuff that dreams are made of!

Problem 1

IMPs	K J 10			West	North	East	South
E-W vul	9 5 2			LHO	Partner	RHO	You
	9 7 4 3						1
	A J 4			1	Dbl	Pass	1
				Pass	Pass	Pass
Lead: Q		East plays K
	A Q 8 7
	A 6 4 3
	K 5
1 South	9 6 2

After winning the A, what next?

A. Lead the 3
B. Lead the K
C. Lead the 5
D. Win A, lead 5
E. Win A, lead 3
F. Finesse the J

Problem 2

IMPs	Q J 10 9 6			West	North	East	South
None vul	5 2			LHO	Partner	RHO	You
	10 7 6					1	1 NT
	9 6 2			Pass	2 1	Pass	2
				Pass	Pass	Pass
Lead: Q		East plays 3
				1. Jacoby transfer
	K 8 2
	A K 7 4
	Q 3
2 South	A 7 5 4

After winning the A, what next?

A. Lead the 2
B. Win the K
C. Lead the Q
D. Lead the 3
E. Win the A
F. Lead the 4

Problem 3

IMPs	A K			West	North	East	South
None vul	10 6 5 4 3			LHO	Partner	RHO	You
	J 8 4 2					1	2
	A 5			Pass	Pass	Dbl	Pass
				3	3	Pass	Pass
Lead: 2		East plays A		Pass
	Q 10 9 8 6 5
	—
	K 6 3
3 South	Q 7 4 2

After ruffing the first trick, what next?

A. Win K, lead 2
B. Win K, lead 5
C. Win A, lead 4
D. Win A, lead 2
E. Win A, lead 5
F. Duck a club

Problem 4

IMPs	Q J 8 6			West	North	East	South
N-S vul	Q J 5			LHO	Partner	RHO	You
	Q 5			Pass	Pass	2	2
	J 6 4 2			Pass	3	Pass	4
				Pass	Pass	Pass
Lead: J
	A 10 9 7 2
	A 7 4
	K 7 2
4 South	A 3

Assuming East plays the A only on North’s queen, how do you play?

A. Play Q, win second diamond, lead 7
B. Play Q, win second diamond, lead A
C. Play Q, win second diamond, lead 3
D. Play 5, win first diamond, lead 2
E. Play 5, win first diamond, lead A
F. Play 5, win first diamond, lead 3

Problem 5

IMPs	A			West	North	East	South
None vul	J 3 2			LHO	Partner	RHO	You
	A J 8 7 6 5			1	Pass	Pass	3
	A 5 3			Pass	4	Pass	4
				Pass	5	Pass	5
Lead: K		East plays 4		Pass	Pass	Pass
	Q J 10 9 7 5 3
	A K
	2
5 South	Q 8 4

Your play?

A. Win A, A, lead J
B. Win A, A, lead 5
C. Win A, lead 2
D. Win A, lead J
E. Win A, lead 5
F. Duck the first trick

Problem 6

IMPs	A 8 5 3			West	North	East	South
Both vul	A 5			LHO	Partner	RHO	You
	A K 3			2	Dbl	Pass	2
	A K 7 3			Pass	3	Pass	4
				Pass	6	Pass	Pass
Lead: K		East plays 8		Pass
	K J 10 6 4
	9 3 2
	8 6 5 4
6 South	6

Assuming the Q does not appear and no one shows out of spades, how do you play?

A. Win A, A, K
B. Win A, A, finesse 10
C. Win A, finesse 10
D. Duck, win second heart, A, K
E. Duck, win second heart, A, finesse 10
F. Duck, win second heart, finesse 10

 Click to see how you did

Challenge 7X81 Main Analyses

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Credits to Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) and The Maltese Falcon
Photo is Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade in the 1941 movie classic
© 2004 Richard Pavlicek