Quiz 8D59   Main

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by Richard Pavlicek

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Problem 1

2

3

4

5

6

Honor Roll

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Never mind. While your PavCo Club contract may be automatic, the following club contracts are not. Test your declarer play on these six problems at IMP scoring. But I must warn you: Play carefully! If you score below 50 percent, a $15 “lame fee” will be added to your bill for the current month.

Decide how you would play each contract — without peeking at the solution, which follows.

Are you ready? Then see if you can play your way from 2 all the way to 7 !

Problem 1

IMPs E-W Vul	K 3 2 8 6 2 8 6 5 3 6 4 3		WEST 1 NT Pass	North Pass Pass	East Pass Pass	South 2
Lead: J		East plays 5
2 South	8 6 5 4 A K 5 4 A K 8 7 2

If you lead a spade, West will play the queen.

Solution below

2 South	K 3 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	8 6 2		1 W	J	3	5	A
	8 6 5 3		2 S	4!	J	3	2
	6 4 3		3 W	10	4	9	K
A Q J 9		10 7	4 S	4	Q	2!	7
Q 10 4		J 9 7 3	5 W	J	K	10	5
A Q J 9		K 10 7 2	6 N	3	3	6	9
J 10		Q 9 5	7 W	9	5	K	2
	8 6 5 4		8 S	8	A	6	Q
	A K 5		Win 4 more tricks
	4
Lead: J	A K 8 7 2

To get a spade ruff in dummy, diamonds must be led first to break communication, then West’s Q must be ducked.

Problem 2

IMPs Both Vul	A 7 5 K Q 4 2 7 6 5 6 4 2		WEST 1 2 Pass	North Pass Pass 3	East 1 Pass All Pass	South 2 Dbl
Lead: 10		East plays 5
3 South	6 4 3 3 A 9 3 2 A K Q J 3

Trumps split normally (West led from 10-9 doubleton).

Solution below

3 South	A 7 5		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	K Q 4 2		1 W	10	2	5	J
	7 6 5		2 S	A	9	4	7
	6 4 2		3 S	K	7	6	8
Q J 2		K 10 9 8	4 S	Q!	2	2	10
A J 7 6		10 9 8 5	5 S	3!	8	5	5
K J 10 8		Q 4	6 S	3	6	K	8
10 9		8 7 5	7 N	7	4	2	10
	6 4 3		8 W	Q	7!	8	3
	3		9 W	J	A	9	4
	A 9 3 2		10 N	5	Q	A	J
Lead: 10	A K Q J 3		11 S	3!	K	6	9
			Win the last trick

Only way to obtain an extra red-suit trick is to squeeze West before leading your heart. No defense can stop you.

Problem 3

IMPs None Vul	8 6 5 4 10 5 4 8 2 A 8 7 5		West 2 Dbl	North Pass All Pass	EAST 1 3	South 2 4
Lead: Q		East plays 7
4 × South	A 2 K A Q 9 7 6 5 Q J 10 2

Your overbid caught a welcome dummy. Now you have to over-play.

Solution below

4 × South	8 6 5 4		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	10 5 4		1 W	Q	4	7	2
	8 2		2 W	10	5	3	A
	A 8 7 5		3 S	2!	4	8	3
Q J 10 9		K 7 3	4 N	2	4	Q	3
J 8 2		A Q 9 7 6 3	5 S	A	J	8	10
J 3		K 10 4	6 S	5	2	5	K
K 9 6 4		3	7 N	4	A	K	8
	A 2		8 E	3	10	J	5
	K		9 S	9	9	A	6
	A Q 9 7 6 5		10 N	6	K	J	9
Lead: Q	Q J 10 2		11 S	7
			Lose 1 trump trick

Holdup is crucial, and only one trump can be led before diamonds. Even if West plays the 9, he cannot beat you.

Problem 4

IMPs N-S Vul	6 4 K J A 5 Q J 10 9 8 7 3		West Dbl Pass	North Rdbl 5	East 3 All Pass	SOUTH 1 Pass
Lead: K		East plays 3
5 South	A Q 7 5 A 5 4 2 4 2 K 5 4

East pitches a diamond on your first trump lead.

Solution below

5 South	6 4		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	K J		1 W	K	5!	3	2
	A 5		2 W	8	A	6	4
	Q J 10 9 8 7 3		3 N	Q	7	K!	2
K 10 3 2		J 9 8	4 S	2	6	J!	3
Q 8 6		10 9 7 3	5 N	J	9	4	A
K Q 8		J 10 9 7 6 3	Win the rest
A 6 2		—
	A Q 7 5
	A 5 4 2
	4 2
Lead: K	K 5 4

Holdup is crucial, and overtaking the first club lead is the only way to force an early entry to finesse the HJ.

Problem 5

IMPs None Vul	A Q 7 5 3 K 8 5 2 A 10 9 Q		West Pass	North 6	EAST 4 All Pass	South 5
Lead: 9
6 South	2 3 K 4 2 A K J 10 8 7 6 5

If you ruff the second heart with an honor, West pitches the 6.

Solution below

6 South	A Q 7 5 3		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	K 8 5 2		1 W	9	K!	A	3
	A 10 9		2 E	Q	10	6	2
	Q		3 S	2!	6	A!	4
J 9 8 6		K 10 4	4 N	3	10	5	8
9		A Q J 10 7 6 4	5 S	6	2	Q	4
Q 8 7 6		J 5 3	6 N	5	K	7	9
9 4 3 2		—	Draw trump, claim
	2
	3
	K 4 2
Lead: 9	A K J 10 8 7 6 5

Ducking 9 would allow a killing club shift. If West had the K, no finesse would be needed (double squeeze).

Problem 6

IMPs E-W Vul	Q 6 5 3 3 A Q 6 J 9 4 3 2		West Pass Pass Pass Pass All Pass	North 2 2 NT 4 5	East Dbl1 Pass Pass Pass	SOUTH 2 2 3 4 NT 7
Lead: 10		East plays 8
7 South	A 2 A K Q 10 2 4 A K Q 8 7		1. lead-directing

East will pitch a diamond on your first trump lead.

Solution below

7 South	Q 6 5 3		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	3		1 W	10	A	8	4
	A Q 6		2 N	6!	J	Q!	9
	J 9 4 3 2		3 S	K	5	2	7
K 10 8		J 9 7 4	4 S	7	6	9	5
J 8 7 6 4		9 5	5 N	Q	K	A	8
10 9		K J 8 7 5 3 2	6 S	8	10	J	3
10 6 5		—	7 N	4!	2	2	?
	A 2		West is squeezed
	A K Q 10 2
	4
Lead: 10	A K Q 8 7

Ruffing diamonds early allows you to succeed when hearts lie foul, whenever the hand with 5+ hearts has the K.

Jonathan Mestel Wins!

These six problems were published in 2018 as a long-running contest, which is now closed. Congratulations to Jonathan Mestel (England) who was the first of three to submit perfect scores. Scoring was based on how many of the first eight plays on each problem matched my recommended plays, so the best possible score was 48 (8×6). Equivalent plays or transpositions were accepted as correct.

There were 47 participants, and only one attempt was allowed for each. Only those scoring 32 or higher are listed below. Ties are broken by the date and time of entry (earliest wins).

Honor Roll

Rank	Name	Location	Score
1	Jonathan Mestel	England	48
2	Perry Groot	Netherlands	48
3	Sjaak Smetsers	Netherlands	48
4	Ding-Hwa Hsieh	Missouri	45
5	Charles Blair	Illinois	45
6	Wojciech Papuga	Poland	44
7	John Reardon	England	44
8	Carsten Kofoed	Sweden	35
9	John Lusky	Oregon	33

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