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Puzzles 7H32 by Richard Pavlicek
1. 
win 6 South
 | A A Q 5 4 3 2 — | |
| 3 K J 10 9 K 2 |  | 2 3 2 6 K 9 8 |
| South leads | — — A Q J A Q J 10 |
If North were on lead, this would be a breeze by drawing the enemy trumps; but South cannot do this. If South leads winners, East and West will each win a trump trick. There is only one solution: South must lose a trick to the singleton K, as silly as it might seem.
Cash the A and pitch the Q from North, then lead the J (or queen). West must give North the lead, and South jettisons his top diamonds on North’s aces to leave the North hand high.
2. win 6 South
| A J 8 2 K — A 3 | |
| K Q 9 — A 8 7 2 | | 10 A J 10 9 Q 4 |
| South leads | 3 — K Q K J 10 9 |
The object is to hold West to one trump trick. South leads the K, West covers and North must ruff with the eight. Lead the 3 to the jack (unless East plays the queen), then cash the Q to discard the club ace. Got all that? I’m sure that’s just how you would have played it at the table.
South continues with the K: If West ruffs high, North discards the K; on a diamond return, North ruffs low and South overruffs to effect a trump coup against West.
3. win 6 South
| Q 2 — 2 A Q 9 8 | |
| — — A J 9 8 K J 10 | | K 10 K Q — 4 3 2 |
| South leads | A J A 2 K Q 10 — |
This ending is perhaps the most bizarre of all. South must lead the A and ruff it with the Q. Never ruff a deuce when you can ruff an ace, I always say. Next finesse the J and draw the last trump, discarding a club from dummy.
South now loses the 2 to East, squeezing West in the process. If West discards a club, North discards the 2, and North’s A-Q-9 win the last three tricks. If West instead discards the A, North keeps the 2.
© 2013 Richard Pavlicek