Puzzle 7F45 Main

Valuable Discard

by Richard Pavlicek

You won’t win any glamor awards for this auction. Many players would consider 4 forcing, but partner is not one of them. Perhaps you should feel honored that he preferred you at the helm in a Moysian fit, rather than himself in a nine-card diamond fit. Now all you have to do is justify that faith.

South deals	6 5 4		West	North	East	South
None vul	K 4 3 2					2
	5 4 3 2		Pass	2	Pass	3
	3 2		Pass	4	Pass	4
J 10		K 9 8 7	Pass	Pass	Pass
A 9 8 7		Q J 10 6 5
9 8 7		6
K J 5 4		9 8 7
	A Q 3 2
	—
Lead: 7	A K Q J 10
4 South	A Q 10 6

West’s underlead of the A is quite unusual but certainly better than a club. In real life this might have caught you off guard, ducking routinely in dummy, but not with all hands in view. The rest is up to you.

Make 4 against best defense.

Puzzle 7F45 Main

Top Valuable Discard

Solution

You had better grab the K at trick one; but then what? To succeed you must violate two basic principles of card play: On the K you must discard a winner (any diamond honor) — hence my title — and you must use dummy’s precious entry to take a losing club finesse instead of a winning spade finesse.

4 South	6 5 4		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	K 4 3 2		1. W	7	K	5	10!
	5 4 3 2		2. N	2!	7	Q	K
	3 2		3. W	8	2	6	2
J 10		K 9 8 7	4. S	A	7	2	6
A 9 8 7		Q J 10 6 5	5. S	A	4	3	8
9 8 7		6	6. S	10	J	4	9
K J 5 4		9 8 7		continued below…
	A Q 3 2
	—
	A K Q J 10
	A Q 10 6

Assume West captures your Q with the king (optionally you could finesse the 10, or win the A and lead the queen or 10) and returns a heart (best) which you ruff. Next cash a diamond (optional) and the A, then lead the 10 to blot out East’s nine. Assume West covers (else pitch a heart) and you ruff in dummy.

Could this be the time to take the spade finesse? No!

win 5/7	6 5		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
North leads	4 3		7. N	3!	7	J	8
	5 4 3		8. E	10	3	9	3
	—		9. S	6!	5	4	8
J 10		K 9 8 7		Declarer succeeds
A 9		Q J 10
9 8		—
5		—
	A Q 3
	—
	K Q J
	6

You must now lead a diamond, which East ruffs and returns a heart, which you ruff. Next lead the good 6 to pitch dummy’s last heart, and East ruffs (if not lead a diamond next). If East leads another heart, you can ruff in dummy and finally finesse spades and claim.

Trap: If a diamond is led before you lose a club trick, West can return a diamond for East to pitch a club, then you cannot reach dummy and must lose three trump tricks. This same tactic allows the defense to defeat 4 with an original diamond lead.

Puzzle 7F45 Main

Top Valuable Discard

© 1997 Richard Pavlicek