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All Message Boards : A gem of a deal while I was on vacation
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Recommend  Message 1 of 3 in Discussion 
From: MSN Nicknametestiestcat1  (Original Message)Sent: 12/31/2008 2:03 AM
I just arrived home after staying with my sister in New York. While I was gone, this deal at the club came up:
 
Puritan Bridge Club     Braintree MA
Session: Open Pairs     Date: 12/27/2008
 
BD: 27        S-K2                                    
Dlr: S        H-J82                                
Vul: None     D-KJT98432                                   
              C-                                           
S-AJT84                S-9                                 
H-Q6                   H-AKT973                            
D-Q7                   D-A65                               
C-K853                 C-AJT                               
              S-Q7653                                      
              H-54                                         
              D-                                           
              C-Q97642
 
Assume that the contract is 6NT by West. North's opening lead is the H2, a lead that gives nothing away. There are many solutions to the problem. Who can come up with the best one?
 
I can tell you right now that no one reached 6NT by West. (A low spade lead defeats 6NT by East) The contracts were 3DX by North, down 3 or 4, or a heart game or slam by East with its own (ahem) hazards, or 3NT (direction unknown at this time) once. You can judge for yourself by looking at the recap from NS's point of view:
 
27>                 9     6     1     6    10-    4     1     6     8    10-    1     3 
       ----  ----  100  -450  -800  -450   150  -460  -800  -450    50   150  -800  -500


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Recommend  Message 2 of 3 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameBridgeLunaticSent: 12/31/2008 2:24 AM
Double dummy it's quite easy - you just run 3 hearts pitching a spade and then lead the spade 9 - South obviously has to play low, so you play the SA and North now either has to unblock the SK letting you set up the 12th trick in spades by driving out the Q, or keep the SK in which case you endplay him on the next trick to give you the 12th trick in diamonds.

Single dummy, you play South for the KQ spades after the diamond preempt by North, and you go down.

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Recommend  Message 3 of 3 in Discussion 
From: MSN Nicknametestiestcat1Sent: 12/31/2008 12:18 PM
That is the basic line that I saw without the aid of DF. But here are some refinements to make it appear to be less double-dummy. Win the opening heart lead in hand and lead a club toward dummy. Now that the 6-0 club split has been exposed, now you can do your dirty work. You may cash another club if you want. Cash two more hearts, pitching a spade from the closed hand. Now that North's hand has been stripped, lead the S9 to the ace. North is in the throes of a variant of Morton's Fork Coup.
 
If the sequence of plays is slightly different, it's possible to get NS squeezed. In fact, if North leads a diamond, a double squeeze will develop, enabling declarer to win all 13 tricks.