 A 9
 8 7
 K J 6 5 3
 J 8 3 2 |
||
| J 7 3
10 9 3
Q 10 9 4
7 6 5 |
10 8 6 4 2
Q J 5
—
A K Q 10 4 |
|
| K Q 5
A K 6 4 2
A 8 7 2
9 |
| West | North | East | South |
| Jassem | Patreuha | ||
| 1 |
|||
| Pass | 1NT | 2 |
Dbl |
| Pass | 2 |
2 |
3 |
| Pass | 3NT | All Pass |
and been doubled there for -300, so a lot of IMPs were riding on whether 3NT could be brought home. Patreuha led the Q asking for unblock of the jack or count, and Jassem’s 7 suggested the actual layout.
Plan the defence. Patreuha shifted to a spade; declarer won in hand and led a diamond up. Patreuha discarded the Q and when declarer finessed in diamonds he pitched the J. Both plays are absolutely necessary to prevent declarer establishing hearts without letting West on lead for the killing club shift.
(Declarer’s line of play was absolutely logical and technically sound; to succeed he would have had to play a heart at trick two and duck East’s jack – an impossible play to find.)
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