Competition Problem 100b

composed by Tim Bourke
presented for solving in June 2013

DR3	♠ A432 ♥ AJ2 ♦ 76 ♣ AK43
♠ Q65 ♥ KQ1097 ♦ AJ54 ♣ 5		♠ none ♥ 865 ♦ 1098 ♣ QJ109876
	♠ KJ10987 ♥ 43 ♦ KQ32 ♣ 2

South to make six spades.  West leads the ♣5.

Successful solvers:  Steve Bloom, Leigh Matheson, ML, Sebastian Nowacki, Radu Mihai, Dick Yuen, Wim van der Zijden

Solution

North wins the first trick and leads a low club for South to ruff with the ♠K.  South plays spades until West covers.  When North captures the ♠Q South immediately ruffs the remaining low club and draws West’s remaining trumps, if any.  North is entered on a heart to the ♥Q and ♥A to give the following ending:

	♠ 4 ♥ J2 ♦ 76 ♣ A
♠ none ♥ K10 ♦ AJ54 ♣ none		♠ none ♥ 86 ♦ 1098 ♣ Q
	♠ J ♥ 4 ♦ KQ32 ♣ none

South discards the ♥4 on North’s ♣A and West is squeezed out of a diamond.  A diamond to the ♦Q follows.  West does best to play the ♦J on this trick but South follows with the ♦K.  West takes this trick but is fixed: a diamond return, ruffed by North, gives South the last two with a heart ruff and the long diamond, whereas a heart lead sets up North’s ♥J with a diamond ruff as entry if need be.

See the solution to Competition Problem #4 for the recommended tabular format if you prefer not to write in English prose.

© Hugh Darwen, 2013

Date last modified: 03 June, 2019