Hand of the Week #01

A CHRISTMAS SLAM

From the Wednesday afternoon game on 26 December 2007:

	A K Q 4 3 A K 8 7 T A Q J
	2 Q T 5 A J 9 6 2 K 8 7 6

None vulnerable, your left-hand opponent deals. You are delighted to hear your partner open 2, and visions of slams start dancing in your head. You reach 6NT, and Ivan leads the four of clubs. All you have to do now is make it.

* * *

You have eleven top tricks (3 spades, 3 hearts, 1 diamond, and 4 clubs) and need to find a twelfth.

If you had two diamonds in the dummy instead of one, you could take a double finesse and have a 75% chance of losing only one diamond drink. But you don't. Diamonds are no help to you.

You have three realistic chances for a twelfth trick: spades might be 4-3, letting you set up a long spade; you could finesse against the J; or you can cash the hearts from the top and hope the jack falls. Which should you do?

The spades will break about 62% of the time. Playing first A and then Q will work 54% of the time (anytime hearts are 3-3 and anytime the jack falls singleton or doubleton). Finessing the heart will work half the time.

But, more importantly, if you try the spades and they break 5-2, you can still try to take 4 heart tricks without losing the lead. If you try the hearts first and they don't work, you will be set if you give up a spade trick later.

The right play is a small spade from both hands at trick two! Your opponents may think you called for the wrong card and gave them a late Christmas present. But what you've actually done is give yourself two ways to make your contract. With best play, this slam makes five-sixths of the time.

And virtue was rewarded at the bridge table. On the traveller, 6NT made once, 6NT went down once, and 3NT made five once. As the cards lie, spades work and hearts don't:

Dealer West None vul	A K Q 4 3 A K 8 7 T A Q J
J T 9 7 Q 9 6 4 Q T 9 5 4		8 6 5 7 2 K 8 7 5 4 3 3 2
	2 Q T 5 A J 9 6 2 K 8 7 6