 J 9 8
 A 9 7 3
 J 8 4
 7 5 2 |
| A K Q 10 3
6
A K Q 7
A K 6 |
| West | North | East | South |
| 21 |
|||
| Pass | 22 |
Pass | 2 |
| Pass | 3 |
Pass | 4NT |
| Pass | 5 |
Pass | 7 |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
Q
I expect you know a player or two who would pot 7as soon as partner whowe the missing ace. It´s quite a gamble because South may have no way to dispose of his losing club. In the long run it is losing bridge to bid slams that require partner to hold cards not actually shown. That doesn’t mean that such ventures never pay off, of course, and perhaps this is the moment.
How would you tacle the hand afterQ is led?
Is there anything better?
Try looking at the hand from North’s point of view. If trump are 3-2 you could perhaps ruff three hearts in the South hand, draw trumps using North’s three cards holding, then discard dummy’s losing club on South´s diamond suit. Entries may be a problem and we will have to bear in mind the “theme of the week“, sometimes playing higher cards than at first appear necessary. Win with theA and ruff heart with the A. Cross to the J and tae a second heart ruff with the K. Now you can lead3 to the8 and ruff dummy’s last heart with theQ. When you overtake the10 with the jack you are in luck, both defenders follow. You can draw the last enemy trump and claim the remainder.
This play is known as a “dummy reversal” because you turn your own hand into the dummy, taking ruffs in the longer trump holding. Don´t worry if you didn´t see the play; it is a notorious blind spot, even among experts.
The complete deal:
| J 9 8
A 9 7 3
J 8 4
7 5 2 |
||
| 6 4
Q J 10 4
10 6 2
Q 10 9 3 |
7 5 2
K 8 5 2
9 5 3
J 8 4 |
|
| A K Q 10 3
6
A K Q 7
A K 6 |
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