Event 3 - Match 9 - Board 1

Board 1
Neither vulnerable

♠ 9 ♥ A 10 9 7 ♦ J 9 5 4 3 ♣ A 6 4

Our opponents for the final match are playing Bridge World Standard.

Two passes to me. I pass, and LHO opens one notrump (15-17). RHO bids Stayman, LHO bids two spades, RHO raises to three, and LHO goes on to game--pass--pass to me.

When the opponents reach game after a limit bid and an invitation, you should consider doubling if it appears they are going to run into any bad luck. The game will usually be marginal, and a little bad luck will probably defeat it. If you're lucky, you may beat it two, which is where the vig in doubling comes from. If your upside were a mere two imps, it would not be worth the risk.

On this deal, I know spades are breaking almost as badly as they can, and whatever spade honors we have are behind the stronger hand. Another plus for our side is that partner has roughly as many high cards as I do. When the high cards are evenly split, the defense has maximum flexibility. They have the communications to establish their winners and cash them. And they are less apt to be subjected to squeezes or endplays. Add the diamond king to this hand, and it would be a less attractive double.

The biggest danger in doubling is that someone will show up with a fifth spade. Then the bad spade split isn't so bad. In fact, my hand may well be good news for declarer. Our aces are in front of the notrump bidder instead of behind him where they belong. I'd be happier doubling if one of my aces were a queen-jack.

Nonetheless, I'm doubling. What sways me is I don't think Jack will expect me to hold a hand like this. If he thinks I have a spade stack, he may adopt a creative line of play and go down in a cold contract. If double causes him to go down, it is a big winner.

Of course, I would not consider doubling if RHO had raised to four spades instead of to three. You can afford doubles like this only when you know the opponents can't have extras. Otherwise, bad luck may simply mean they make fewer overtricks than one would normally expect

I double, everyone passes, and partner leads the queen of clubs.

	NORTH Marcin ♠ Q J 10 7 ♥ 5 4 ♦ K Q 7 6 ♣ 10 8 5
		EAST Phillip ♠ 9 ♥ A 10 9 7 ♦ J 9 5 4 3 ♣ A 6 4

West	North	East	South
Jack	Marcin	Phillip	Daniel
Pass	Pass	Pass	1 NT
Pass	2 ♣	Pass	2 ♠
Pass	3 ♠	Pass	4 ♠
Pass	Pass	Double	(All pass)

Partner might have led a singleton diamond, so probably both he and declarer have doubletons. Declarer can't have four hearts, so he is either 4-3-2-4 or 5-3-2-3. Partner is unlikely to have led a club from queen-jack third. So my guess is declarer is 5-3-2-3. So much for the bad trump break. The good news is that, with five spades, declarer would have accepted even with a minimum in high cards, so partner could have up to five high-card points in addition to his queen-jack of clubs.

We have two aces and a club trick, so we need only one more trick. A spade honor or the diamond ace in partner's hand will do nicely. The heart king will not do, since declarer can draw trumps and pitch a club away, holding us to one club and two heart tricks.

I don't see any gain in taking the club ace. If I duck, declarer will play three rounds of diamonds, pitching a club. Partner can ruff and play a club to my ace for another diamond play. If I win the ace and return a club, partner would have to play a heart to my ace after ruffing. Why expend two entries for a task when one entry will do? I encourage with the club six.

Declarer wins with the king and cashes the diamond ace. Good. He would be drawing trumps if he had the ace and king of spades. So partner must have one of those cards, which means we're beating this at least one. Partner plays the deuce; I play the three. Declarer plays a diamond to the king and cashes the queen of diamonds, pitching the club deuce as partner ruffs with the deuce of spades. I follow up the line in diamonds, confirming my club ace, as if partner couldn't work that out himself.

Partner plays the seven of clubs to my ace. Declarer follows with the three. Can playing a diamond accomplish anything? What if partner has king-eight of spades left? If declarer ruffs low, partner overruffs with the eight, plays a heart to my ace, and gets a trump promotion for down two. So ducking the club ace paid off. We couldn't do this if I had wasted my club entry.

Declarer can prevent the second undertrick by ruffing with the ace. But it doesn't hurt to put him to the test. I lead the jack of diamonds. Declarer ruffs with the spade five. Partner, unfortunately, pitches the club nine. Declarer cashes the spade ace; partner follows with the four. Declarer made no attempt to get to dummy for a spade finesse, so he probably can't. With king-queen of hearts, he could have driven the heart ace and ruffed a heart to dummy, so he must have king-jack of hearts, which gives him 15 high-card points.

Declarer exits with a spade to partner's king. We may still beat this two if declarer misguesses hearts. But I need to make sure partner plays a club. Jack doesn't understand the concept of putting declarer to a guess, so he might see no reason not to lead a heart. To ensure he doesn't do that, I need to trick partner into trying to cash his jack of clubs. I need to hold onto my club, leaving open the possibility that declarer has it. Accordingly, I pitch the nine of diamonds. Partner plays the jack of clubs, and declarer ruffs.

Declarer plays a spade to dummy and plays a heart. I play low, and declarer goes up with the king. Down one.

	NORTH Marcin ♠ Q J 10 7 ♥ 5 4 ♦ K Q 7 6 ♣ 10 8 5
WEST Jack ♠ K 4 2 ♥ Q 8 3 2 ♦ 10 2 ♣ Q J 9 7		EAST Phillip ♠ 9 ♥ A 10 9 7 ♦ J 9 5 4 3 ♣ A 6 4
	SOUTH Daniel ♠ A 8 6 5 3 ♥ K J 6 ♦ A 8 ♣ K 3 2

We were pretty close to collecting 300 on this deal, so it was right to double. Declarer probably guessed right in hearts because he thought I wouldn't have doubled without the heart ace. Little does he know.

As declarer played, we would have collected 300 if partner had held my nine of spades. Why did declarer ruff low? I can think of two layouts where ruffing low saves a trick: (1) I have king-nine-four of spades and a small doubleton heart. If declarer ruffs with the ace, I score my spade king, two hearts, and the spade nine on a trump promotion. (2) I have nine-four of spades and a doubleton club. If declarer ruffs with the ace, I score a club ruff with the spade nine when partner gets in with the spade king. But neither of these layouts is plausible for a variety of reasons. If the bridge gods had any sense of justice, they would have given partner my spade nine to punish declarer for this play.

Then again, maybe I shouldn't argue with the bridge gods. As Edgar once said to me, "Actually, it's fortunate we aren't punished for all our mistakes. If we were--well, I won't presume to speak for you, but I would have given up the game long ago."

Our teammates went down one undoubled in the same contract, so we pick up two imps.

Table 1: +100
Table 2: -50

Result on Board 1: +2 imps
Total: +2 imps

Event 3 - Match 8 - Board 8

Board 8
Neither vulnerable

♠ A 8 2 ♥ K Q 8 4 ♦ Q 9 7 3 ♣ A 5

LHO opens one diamond, partner passes, and RHO bids one spade. I do play one notrump in sandwich position as natural, but I bid it only with a source of tricks, not with a flat hand. I pass, LHO bids one notrump, and there are two passes to me. This looks like a good spot. Rather than contract for seven tricks in notrump on offense, I'll contract for the same number on defense.

I pass, and partner leads the ten of clubs, showing zero or two higher honors.

	NORTH Christian ♠ 10 6 5 4 ♥ A J 10 ♦ 6 5 2 ♣ Q 9 8
		EAST Phillip ♠ A 8 2 ♥ K Q 8 4 ♦ Q 9 7 3 ♣ A 5

West	North	East	South
Jack	Christian	Phillip	Floyd
			1 ♦
Pass	1 ♠	Pass	1 NT
(All pass)

Partner has the king and jack of clubs, leaving him with at most a queen or two jacks in addition. South covers the club ten with the queen, I take the ace, and declarer follows with the seven.

With three small clubs, declarer would duck to block the suit. So declarer must be 2-3-4-4 or 3-2-4-4 with seven-six fourth of clubs. We have three club tricks, one spade, and two hearts (if we can manage them). We need one more trick somewhere.

I'm pretty sure the best defense is for me to lead a club to partner and get a heart shift. But how will partner know to do that? He should be able to draw the same inference I did that declarer has four clubs. But how does he know a heart shift won't just pickle my queen? Maybe it will help if I return a diamond--a high one to suggest I want a shift. Then, when declarer plays clubs himself, perhaps partner will work out to play a heart.

It might cost to break diamonds. Declarer might, for example, have ace-king-jack-ten and be unable to take two finesses unless I lead the suit for him. But I'm probably going to have to lead diamonds sooner or later anyway. So why not now?

I switch to the seven of diamonds. Declarer takes the ace; partner plays the four. Declarer has marked himself with the ace and king (winning with the king would have been a better idea), thereby increasing the chance from partner's point of view that I have both heart honors. Maybe partner will get this right.

Declarer leads the three of clubs to partner's jack. If it wasn't clear to partner at trick one that declarer had four clubs, declarer's attacking the suit himself should certainly make it clear now. Come on, partner. Heart shift! No such luck. Partner cashes the club king. As a general rule, I should pitch the major I don't want led in this position. But I'm not sure I can afford a spade. I don't want declarer to be able to lead a spade toward his hand once, then duck out my ace. So I pitch the eight of hearts. That can hardly be my lowest heart, so perhaps partner will appreciate my problem.

Partner is having a hard time getting the message to play hearts. He shifts to the seven of spades. Declarer plays the ten from dummy. I play the ace, and declarer plays the three. Partner's seven was the lowest outstanding spot, so he must have queen-nine-seven or jack-nine-seven, giving declarer a 3-2-4-4 pattern with king-queen-three or king-jack-three of spades. Playing the ten from dummy doesn't make a lot of sense with the latter holding, so I'm betting on king-queen-three.

If declarer takes three spade tricks, he'll make this: three spades, one heart, two diamonds, and one club. So I must get the ace of hearts off the table while the spade are blocked. Of course, if I lead the heart king, declarer can just duck it. But he doesn't know spades are three-three, so he might find something else to play for. And there is nothing to lose by trying. If declarer does duck, at least I have one heart trick in the bag.

I lead the king of hearts--six--deuce--ace. Well, that's some progress. Dummy is now dead.

Declarer plays the four of spades to his queen. I play the deuce; partner plays the nine. Declarer would probably have taken the diamond finesse if he had the jack, so we must be down to this position:

	NORTH Christian ♠ 6 5 ♥ J 10 ♦ 6 5 ♣ --
WEST Jack ♠ J ♥ x x x ♦ J ♣ 2		EAST Phillip ♠ 8 ♥ Q 4 ♦ Q 9 3 ♣
	SOUTH Floyd ♠ K ♥ x ♦ K 10 8 ♣ 6

Declarer has taken three tricks so far. He can cash three more and play a heart to the jack. I will have to give him one red-suit ten or the other for his seventh trick.

Declarer cashes the club six, pitching a diamond from dummy. I pitch a heart. Declarer then cashes the diamond king. Partner follows with the ten rather than the jack as I expected. Yes, of course. That was foolish of me. I should have realized declarer has no reason to take the diamond finesse. If I have the queen, I'm endplayed anyway, so he might as well try to drop the queen in partner's hand. Nice play, Floyd.

I expect declarer to cash the spade king and play a heart to endplay me. But he leads a low diamond out of his hand instead. I cash my three red-suit winners and declarer takes the spade king at the end. Down one.

	NORTH Christian ♠ 10 6 5 4 ♥ A J 10 ♦ 6 5 2 ♣ Q 9 8
WEST Jack ♠ J 9 7 ♥ 7 5 3 2 ♦ 10 4 ♣ K J 10 2		EAST Phillip ♠ A 8 2 ♥ K Q 8 4 ♦ Q 9 7 3 ♣ A 5
	SOUTH Floyd ♠ K Q 3 ♥ 9 6 ♦ A K J 8 ♣ 7 6 4 3

Declarer misread the ending. He thought I had four spades and three diamonds. Perhaps my seven of diamonds confused him. That's serendipitous, since I didn't mean it as a falsecard. It was an honest attitude card, intended to suggest a heart shift. Of course, Jack doesn't signal that way. His attitude cards pertain to the suit led, not to the hand as a whole. So he would never lead high himself when holding the diamond queen. Declarer might also have been misled by my pass over one spade. In the post mortem, Jack expressed the opinion that I should have bid one notrump. I'm a big believer in playing one notrump in the sandwich position as natural. But if partner started bidding it on hands like this, I would change my mind.

Could we beat this legitimately if partner shifts to a heart after cashing his club king? Declarer would duck, and I would win with the king. (No need to win with the queen, since partner is now out of the picture.) I would play another diamond. Declarer would finesse the jack, reaching this position:

	NORTH Christian ♠ 10 6 5 4 ♥ A J ♦ 6 ♣ --
WEST Jack ♠ J 9 7 ♥ 7 5 3 ♦ -- ♣ 2		EAST Phillip ♠ A 8 2 ♥ Q 4 ♦ Q 9 ♣ --
	SOUTH Floyd ♠ K Q 3 ♥ 9 ♦ K 8 ♣ 6

When declarer cashes his long club, I'm squeezed. If I pitch a spade, he plays king and a diamond. I would now either have to cash the spade ace, giving declarer two spade tricks, or lead a low spade, setting myself up to be endplayed. To have any chance to beat it, I must hold all my spades and stiff the heart queen, hoping declarer doesn't read the position.

To beat this by force, partner must play a heart before cashing the club king. Declarer can't come to seven tricks without setting up his long club, so partner will eventually gain the lead to play a second heart. This would be difficult even for an expert partner. It is well beyond Jack's ability, since he seems unable to draw the inference that his clubs aren't running.

The board is a push, although we deserve some extra credit, because our opponents at the other table beat two notrump a trick. We win the match by 18 imps and collect 21 out of 30 victory points. We retain our lead, but we are only ten points ahead of second place with one match to go.

Table 1: +50
Table 2: -50

Score on Board 8: 0 imps
Result on Match 8: +19 imps (21 VP)

Current Total: 146 VP (out of 240)

Event 3 - Match 8 - Board 7

Board 7
Both sides vulnerable

♠ A Q 10 ♥ A 9 ♦ Q 9 8 4 ♣ K 10 6 4

I open one diamond in first seat. Partner responds one heart, and I bid one notrump (15-17). Partner bids two clubs (checkback Stayman), and RHO doubles. I redouble. Jack and I haven't discussed this redouble. But I think king-ten fourth is the worst holding I could have. I need the ace or king, so the defense can't play three rounds of trumps, and I need a second trump trick.

Partner bids three clubs. RHO passes, and I bid three notrump. LHO dutifully leads the seven of clubs.

	NORTH Jack ♠ J 9 ♥ Q 8 7 6 2 ♦ A K 6 ♣ 8 3 2
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ A Q 10 ♥ A 9 ♦ Q 9 8 4 ♣ K 10 6 4

West	North	East	South
Floyd	Jack	Christian	Phillip
			1 ♦
Pass	1 ♥	Pass	1 NT
Pass	2 ♣1	Double	Redouble
Pass	3 ♣	Pass	3 NT
(All pass)
1Checkback Stayman

I might have taken a shot at two clubs redoubled with partner's hand. If I didn't know Jack better, I would think he was playing it safe because we just bid and made a slam off two cashing tricks. That's not a strategy I approve of, by the way. If you think it's wrong to pass the redouble, that's one thing. But if you think it's right, I believe you should do it regardless of the state of the match. I've never understood why being up in a match tempts people to take actions they believe are anti-percentage.

I have eight easy tricks: two spades, a heart, three diamonds, and two clubs. And I have lots of possibilities for a ninth. I play low from dummy, and East plays the jack. I see no reason to win this trick, so I encourage with the six. East cashes the club ace. I play the four, and West plays the spade deuce. Perhaps this means the spade king is onside.

No, it's not. East shifts to the eight of spades. He doesn't know I have the ten, so he would not lead away from the king in this position, especially after his partner's deuce. I might as well retain some flexibility by playing the queen. West can't possibly duck this trick. I could be 2-2-5-4 for all he knows.

West takes the king and continues with the four of spades. East plays the five. Where's the three? It's possible East is playing low (present count) from three and West's four is high from four-three doubleton:

(A)  ♠ K 4 3 2

♠ 8 7 6 5

It's also possible East is playing high from a doubleton and West is leading low from three:

(B)  ♠ K 7 6 4 2

♠ 8 5 3

I have to keep both possibilities in mind.

If diamonds are three-three, I've made this. So I might as well assume they aren't. In that case, West is probably the one with four diamonds. If West has four spades, then he is 4-4-4-1, and I'm cold. I can win this trick in dummy, take a club finesse, then play a low heart to dummy's queen. If it loses to the king, West is caught in a red suit squeeze. If West has five spades, then he is 5-3-4-1. In that case, I will need some luck in the heart suit. I need to find West with the heart king (so I can score the queen) or with jack-ten-third (so he will be squeezed).

I win in dummy with the spade jack, then lead a club to my ten. West pitches the three of hearts. He is surely 5-3-4-1 now. He would not pitch from four hearts, allowing me to establish the suit.

I play then nine of hearts; West plays the four. I play the queen. East wins with the king and plays the seven of spades to my ace. West follows with the three, and I pitch the heart deuce from dummy. I am down to this position:

	NORTH Jack ♠ -- ♥ 8 7 6 ♦ A K 6 ♣ --
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ -- ♥ A ♦ Q 9 8 4 ♣ K

Once I deduced spades were five-three, I expected East to show up with the spade three. But West had it, suggesting layout (A) above. Is that possible? Could West be 4-4-4-1?

No. There is no chance that West, with a perfectly safe spade pitch available, would have pitched a heart from jack fourth or ten fourth, allowing me to run the suit if I guessed to duck out his partner's king. The spade suit must lie as follows:

(C) ♠ K 6 4 3 2

♠ 8 7 5

That means West made a strange lead of the four of spades from six-four-three at trick three. But it is more likely that West carded strangely than that he risked handing me the contract for no reason. West must be 5-3-4-1.

There is no squeeze, so I need to take four diamond tricks. If I had worked out West's shape earlier, I could have played for this lie of the diamond suit.

	NORTH Jack ♦ A K 6
WEST Floyd ♦ J 10 x x		EAST Christian ♦ 7 x
	SOUTH Phillip ♦ Q 9 8 4

I lead the eight. If West covers, I win in dummy, return to my hand, and lead the nine, pinning East's seven and establishing dummy's six. Unfortunately, I don't have the communication to do that any more. My only chance at four diamond tricks is to find East with jack-ten doubleton.

It costs nothing to lead the eight of diamonds anyway. If West plays low, I may decide to play him to have made a mistake and to let it ride. It's unlikely I would do that against a computer, but I might do it in a real game if I sensed a sufficient degree of anxiety on my right once West's low diamond hit the table.

On the eight of diamonds, West plays the seven. I can't believe he would fail to cover with jack-ten-seven fourth, so any notion I had of letting this ride has vanished. I go up with the ace; East plays the deuce. I return to my hand with the heart ace and cash the club queen. knowing full well there is no squeeze. There isn't. Down one.

	NORTH Jack ♠ J 9 ♥ Q 8 7 6 2 ♦ A K 6 ♣ 8 3 2
WEST Floyd ♠ K 6 4 3 2 ♥ J 4 3 ♦ 10 7 5 3 ♣ 7		EAST Christian ♠ 8 7 5 ♥ K 10 5 ♦ J 2 ♣ A Q J 9 5
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ A Q 10 ♥ A 9 ♦ Q 9 8 4 ♣ K 10 6 4

Was I making two clubs redoubled? That's unclear. Suppose East starts with ace, queen of clubs. I win, play a diamond to my king and float the jack of spades. West wins and plays another diamond. I win with the ace and cash two spades, pitching a diamond from my hand, to reach this position:

	NORTH Jack ♠ -- ♥ Q 8 7 6 2 ♦ -- ♣ 8
WEST Floyd ♠ 6 ♥ J 4 3 ♦ 10 7 ♣		EAST Christian ♠ -- ♥ K 10 5 ♦ -- ♣ J 9 5
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ -- ♥ A 9 ♦ Q 9 ♣ 10 6

Counting the heart ace and club ten, I have seven tricks. I need one more. In this layout, I can ruff dummy's nine of diamonds in my hand. East must overruff (else that's my eighth trick). If he leads a heart, I score the heart queen. If he exits in trumps, I score the diamond queen. (Note a heart shift by West when he is in with the spade king does not help.)

This line will not work, however, if West has the heart king, since he can gain the lead to give East a second diamond ruff. In that case, in the diagrammed position, I must play ace and a heart. West wins and must play a diamond or a spade. I ruff in my hand, East overruffs, and I pitch the nine of diamonds. Again, East must either give me the heart queen or draw trumps, allowing me to cash the diamond queen.

A different opening lead might give me more problems. But sooner or later, I reach the same position. In all variations, my success comes down to guessing who has the heart king.

Unfortunately, our teammates did not beat three notrump. Should they have? After a strong notrump opening and a Jacoby auction, West will probably lead a spade, which declarer will win in dummy. If declarer allows East to win the first heart trick, a spade continuation will beat it. (The defense establishes spades or shifts to a club depending on which hand has the remaining heart entry.) But if declarer leads a heart to the nine at trick two, there is nothing the defense can do.

This deals illustrates why I think the strategy of "playing it safe" when you are up in the match is wrong. Of course you would like to duplicate the result at the other table if that were possible. But it's not. You don't know what's going on at the other table. So why not just take your percentage action? Presumably, that's how you got in the lead in the first place.

I don't know if I would have made two clubs redoubled or not. But I do 16 imps better if I make it, and I lose only 2 imps more if I go down. I like those odds.


Table 1: -100
Table 2: -600

Result on Board 7: -12 imps
Total: +19 imps

Event 3 - Match 8 - Board 6

Board 6
Opponents vulnerable

♠ 10 9 2 ♥ Q 5 4 3 ♦ J 7 4 ♣ K 8 2

RHO opens one diamond. I pass, and LHO passes. Partner reopens with a double. I bid one heart, and partner bids one notrump, presumably showing a strong notrump. I pass, and RHO leads the deuce of diamonds (fourth best).

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 10 9 2 ♥ Q 5 4 3 ♦ J 7 4 ♣ K 8 2
	SOUTH Jack ♠ Q 5 4 3 ♥ A J ♦ A 10 6 ♣ A Q 7 5

West	North	East	South
Christian	Phillip	Floyd	Jack
1 ♦	Pass	Pass	Double
Pass	1 ♥	Pass	1 NT
(All pass)

Since responder won't have much to do on this deal, this would be a good time for West to falsecard on opening lead. So I wouldn't pay too much attention to the deuce against a good defender. However, I am pretty confident that Jack has four diamonds.

I play low from dummy, East plays the eight, and I win with the ten. I can't be sure where the diamond honors are. East might play the eight from queen-eight third to avoid giving me a second diamond trick if I have king-ten instead of ace-ten.

I have two diamonds, three clubs, and one heart. All I need to do is to drive the heart king to come to seven tricks. I lead the jack of hearts. West takes the king, and East follows with the seven.

West leads the king of diamonds, settling the question of where the diamond honors are. (I suppose West might lead the king without the queen in an attempt to drill an entry into his partner's hand. But how would he even know his partner has the queen?) West has shown up with eight high-card points. If West is balanced, as seems likely, he has four to six additional high-card points, leaving East with three to five.

I play low from dummy, and East follows with the five. I see no gain in winning this trick. The opponents can't cash enough tricks in spades to beat me. So I duck.

West shifts to the jack of clubs. If West wanted to defend passively, he could just play another diamond. He must be looking for a source of tricks. He is hoping to find his partner with ace-fifth of clubs and plans to take one heart, one diamond, one spade, and four clubs. There was no point in switching to a club on the previous round, since he needed one diamond to come to seven tricks.

What can I conclude about West's hand? For one thing, he is missing a spade honor. I know that because he thinks I have it. His partner could not have the club ace unless I had at least four high-card points in spades. How many clubs does West have? The shift is more attractive from jack-ten third than from a doubleton. If he has jack doubleton and his partner has ace-ten-nine fifth, I could always go up with dummy's king to block the suit. But maybe my making a mistake is the only chance West sees. So I don't think I can assume he has three clubs.

I unblock dummy's eight (leaving me the option of playing West for jack-ten or jack-nine doubleton), East plays the four, and I win with the queen.

I have seven tricks. Is there any way to take an overtrick other than bringing home the club suit? There is no danger in playing spades. The defense can take at most three spade tricks. So I might as well try it and see what happens. But I need to unblock the heart ace first before they tangle up my entries with another club play. I cash the heart ace--deuce--four--nine. It appears that either East is giving present count with nine-eight-seven or he is following up the line with ten-nine-seven.

I play the three of spades--eight--ten--jack. East returns the six of spades. Why a spade rather than a diamond? I guess he is desperately hoping that I made a weird play with queen third of spades and that the suit is running. In any event, he must have begun with four spades. He would not block the suit by leading low from honor doubleton. I play the four, and West wins with the king. If my assumptions are correct, West is 2-4-4-3 and East is 4-3-3-3.

East plays the eight of hearts. I take dummy's queen, and East follows with the ten. This is the presumed position, with me still to discard on the heart queen.

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 9 ♥ 5 ♦ J ♣ K 2
WEST Christian ♠ -- ♥ 6 ♦ Q x ♣ 10 x		EAST Floyd ♠ A 7 ♥ -- ♦ x ♣ x x
	SOUTH Jack ♠ Q 5 ♥ -- ♦ A ♣ A 7 5

I have two ways to make eight tricks. I can (A) pitch a spade and run clubs, or I can (B) pitch a club and drive the spade ace. If my construction is correct, it doesn't matter what I do. So I must assume my construction is wrong. Specifically, I must assume West has one more diamond or one more spade than I think he does. It doesn't matter which.

That makes West either four-two or three-three in hearts and clubs. In the former case, clubs aren't breaking and I must pitch a club and drive the spade ace. In the latter case, East has the good heart and I must pitch a spade and run clubs. Against these opponents, the choice is clear. There is no chance I am wrong about the heart split. A human opponent might try to mislead me about who has the long heart. But Jack would never play seven-nine-ten of hearts and hold onto the six. West must have the heart six, so I pitch a club and drive the spade ace. Making two.

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 10 9 2 ♥ Q 5 4 3 ♦ J 7 4 ♣ K 8 2
WEST Christian ♠ K 8 ♥ K 8 6 2 ♦ K Q 3 2 ♣ J 10 3		EAST Floyd ♠ A J 7 6 ♥ 10 9 7 ♦ 9 8 5 ♣ 9 6 4
	SOUTH Jack ♠ Q 5 4 3 ♥ A J ♦ A 10 6 ♣ A Q 7 5

West was four-three in hearts and clubs as expected, so either play would have worked. The result at the other table is identical.

Table 1: + 120
Table 2: -120

Result on Board 6: 0 imps
Total: +31 imps