HBJ : Yes, this line works if East has the two outstanding spades, but if say West held them….. a clever East could unblock his king of diamonds to avoid an end play on his side.
Now I suppose after the same elimination play a low diamond to dummy’s 10 would also bring home the bacon.
Lovely hand to demonstrate the virtue of covering both the 2-2 and 3-1 diamond breaks in one go, with the only the KQJ holding scuppering one’s chances of a result.

What should declarer do if East follows with the 4D?

It makes no difference what E plays. You always duck the first D trick. Anyway, if E plays the 4, you will only go down if W has KQJ, which is hardly possible given the lead of A C without the K. So basically if E plays 4, you are making.

Hi Jim2 and Mike,

Good question Jim2, and as far as Mike’s answer I can only quote 2nd Citizen from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” after Mark Antony had made his famous speech (“Friends, Romans, Countrymen”) on Caesar’s infamous murder, “Methinks he has much reason in what he says”.

At least to me, bridge is the greatest competitive game ever, because of the powerful thought and logic ever present, first in calibrating the bidding and then in the execution of playing and defending.

What other game comes even close in challenging the above, as long as everyone at the table treats our game properly and thus plays ethically and honorably?

I quite agree on ducking the 4D.

I asked because of the wording in the column:

“Now declarer plays a low diamond from dummy and, when East produces an honor, ducks.”

If one intended to duck whatever East played, then the wording could have been:

“Now declarer plays a low diamond from dummy and, no matter what diamond East produces, ducks.”

Or:

“Now declarer ducks a diamond.”

The specific use of “honor” in the column made me wonder, that’s all.

Hi Jim2,

Your comment is right-on and in retrospect it should have been discovered and changed at some point in the proof-reading process.

Clarity in presentation should rank at or very near the top in all types of writing, particularly when the text reaches many readers and the subject is a difficult game which requires exactness in both the playing and/or the relating.

Thank you for your reminder of our continued responsibility to all our valued readers.

@hbj – It seems that unblocking the diamond king would do little to help. You again eliminate the round suits and then either lead up to the 10 of diamonds or lead it from the board. It makes no difference as West is now endplayed. It seems to me that keeping the K gives declarer the best chance to go wrong.

Hi Jeff H,

Please excuse the delay, but you are 100% correct in what you say. When East plays the King, South should let him hold it, with West playing an honor not the 4. Then, if East continues with the 4 South would have a legitimate guess as to whether to finesse it or not. That defensive gambit, instituted by East, is to cater to the actual holdings since if East had K(H)4 and played low, South would duck, endplaying West with his possible singleton H, but if West played an honor and East then, after declarer’s duck, continued with the 4 South would have to guess. Note: Since East’s play of the H, holding double H 4, that double honor 4 is probably less likely for him to “rise to the occasion” (and very cerebral, although realizing that West’s diamond holding, at this time is unknown, while just following suit with the 4 is more natural, although missing a chance for a significant gambit, worth a newspaper column.