Puzzle 7E79 Main

Major Fantasy

by Richard Pavlicek

After a quick but lively auction, South becomes declarer in six hearts.

6 South	K Q J 10 9		West	North	East	South
down 1	7 6 5 4 3 2					1
	A K		?1	6	Pass	Pass
	—		Pass
?		?
?		?	1. West jumped in a minor suit
?		?
?		?
	7 6 5 4 3 2
	A K Q J 10 9
6 South	—
down 1	A

Alas, the slam is defeated, and North is quick to criticize:

“If you bid properly with six-six shape and open one spade, we’d get to six spades.”

“You’re playing results,” argued South. “Suit quality matters. One heart stands out a mile.”

“Down one also stands out a mile,” countered North.

“If it makes you feel any better,” South noted, “Six spades is also down one.”

What are the East-West hands?

Solution

It is easy to construct layouts where one slam fails. For example, 6 can be defeated if West holds A-8 and East holds the 8; but then 6 would be a simple make. Similarly, 6 can be defeated if West has the 8 and East has the 8; but then 6 would be ice-cold.

Only one layout will defeat both slams, on which West bid 6 over 1 :

6 South	K Q J 10 9		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
down 1	7 6 5 4 3 2		1. W	2	7	8	A
	A K			Lose 1 more trick
	—
8		A
—		8
—		Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2		—
	7 6 5 4 3 2
	A K Q J 10 9
6 South	—
down 1	A

Against either slam, West leads a club. In 6 , East ruffs with the 8 and also scores the A. In 6 , East ruffs with the A and returns a diamond for West to ruff with the 8.

“Oh well,” lamented South. “It was a good save, as six clubs was cold.”

“Why save?” North nagged. “With a club stopper, all you had to do was bid six notrump and we’d be plus a bundle.”

“Good point,” South quipped, “and if I tied you up with a stopper in your mouth, I’d have a bigger bundle.”

Puzzle 7E79 Main

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© 1980 Richard Pavlicek