Source:IBPAColumn Service DIC 2020Tim Bourke**Source: wikipedia:Tim Bourke “is an Australian bridge player and writer. His joint project with Justin Corfield “the Art of Declarer Play” won the International Bridge Press Book of the Year award in 2014.IMPs Dealer South. E/W Vul
5 4 2
2
A Q J 9 7 6 2
10 4
A K Q J
A 6 4
—
A K 8 7 6 2
West
North
East
South
1
Pass
1
Pass
2
Pass
3
Pass
3
Pass
4
Pass
6
Pass
Pass
Pass
North decided that he needed a good score to remain in contention and so leapt four spades, provoking South’s leap to six.
West led 10.
To have any hope of 12 tricks, declarer needed clubs to be three-two and trumps to be no worse than four-two. Declarer saw the danger of trying to ruff a club in dummy. The play would have to go: heart ruff, the ace of diamonds to shed a heart from hand, the ace-king of clubs and a club ruff in dummy.
This would fail when the trumps were four-two; the defender with the four trumps would keep his length intact. Then the only way back to hand would have been with a diamond ruff. This would cause declarer lose trump control and the contract Instead, declarer found a better plan that was deceptively simple; he relied on the most likely division of the black suits, that neither defender had a singleton in either suit.
So, at trick two, he played a low club from both hands. After winning East’s trump return, declarer ruffed a heart in dummy, discarded his remaining heart on the ace of diamonds, returned to hand with a club to the ace and drew the outstanding trumps for his contract.
The complete deal:
5 4 2
2
A Q J 9 7 6 2
10 4
