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The partner of the leader has far more information when dummy hits baize: he can see half the cards; he has his partner’s lead to consider. What would you do here?
Bidding
Dealer: North
Love All
All who played in 4H could have made it, yet few were successful, despite lax defence. On the auction, J♦ seems an obvious lead. East wins with K♦. What should he be thinking now?
He has four defensive tricks in his own hand. Is there any way that the declarer can avoid losing them?
As so often, dummy’s long suit can offer declarer salvation. Imagine if East leads A♦, then 7♦. Declarer ruffs with 3♥, cashes A♠ and crosses to dummy’s A♥. A spade is ruffed, before South cashes K♥ and leads J♥. East wins, and leads his fourth diamond. Again, declarer ruffs, then crosses to K♣ and ruffs a further spade. If the suit does not behave, he must take the club finesse but, with spades politely dividing 3-3, he can spurn the losing finesse, cross to A♣, and discard his third club from hand on a winning spade.
Returning to original question: East should know that if South holds a spade, the long suit is splitting evenly. To prevent spades from becoming established, entries must be attacked. If, at trick 2, East switches to 2♥, this takes out a key entry before the spade suit has been unblocked; declarer has no choice but to try the club finesse, and East’s four tricks duly materialise.
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