Hi Dear Mr Wolff
Perhaps declarer could have opted for a more elegant line. After winning second spade and three rounds of trumps ending in dummy , he could have led diamond five and finessed nine in hand. West must duck this to give defense any chance but now South plays diamond to dummy,s A to confirm what is happening ( if diamonds break there is no problem bit as West turns up with diamond J , dummy leads a trump and West’s discomfiture is complete . If he throws spade, he can be endplayed in diamonds and if he throws a club , a club can be ducked as South places club A with West , and he need not bother about West’s shape in this line
Regards

AVRR –

What if East plays the JD?

Hi AVRR & Jim2,

Yes, sometimes since we alone, during the bridge post-mortem, can see the original location of all the cards which tends to much more often find different, but very unlikely (and non-percentage) ways to succeed.

However, in the real bridge world, assuming the opponents are unkind enough to hold their hands away from opponent’s eyesight, we (usually declarer) are forced to rely on logic alone to determine the best line of play.

However, with East also holding the key 10 of spades, it seems right for him to overtake
west’s Queen of spades, (an overwhelming favorite to also hold the jack with his queen lead, denying declarer the luxury of keeping East out of the lead sooner, rather than later.

Perhaps the jack of clubs should have quietly suggested to East, that sometimes sooner, rather than later he needs to lead that key knave through declarer, if possible,before declarer’s would be diamond suit become established.

Sometimes, vivid imagination is required by the defense, and here East should not consider a spade king overtake without the mandatory 10, otherwise the whole defensive master defensive plan might sink like the Titanic. If thought necessary by East, even while holding only the nine an overtake at trick one may work, but only if West held the QJ10x(x) for his lead.

Live and learn, learn and live, which seems the norm, rather than the unusual if all four players at the table, get very much into every hand, which is dealt. Truly , good bridge is worth it, although fate doesn’t always allow every good play to be rewarded, just like it withholds (thank goodness), all bad ones to be punished.

But, the play is the logic and thus the thing, rather than just the cold blooded result.

Thanks to all of our posters for being on the alert for all interesting and worthwhile twists and turns which so very aptly, often apply to our great game, especially the ones which are not otherwise featured in our writing.