Up or Down Mr. Brown?

By Eddie Kantar Eddie Kantar

Courtesy of KantarBridge.com

Neither vulnerable, IMPs

N
North
A1054
43
KJ9
7654
 
S
South
K632
A10
AQ10
A932
W
West
N
North
E
East
S
South
1NT
Pass
2
Pass
2
Pass
3
Pass
4
All Pass
 
 
 

Opening lead: K

Say you win the A and duck a club to East’s jack. East cashes the HJx and exits with the K you win the ace, West playing the ten.   Wondering about spades?    Okay, the time has come: you play the K and East plays the jack.  When you continue with a second spade, West plays low, of course.  Which spade do you play from dummy, and worse, why?

Solution

This one’s a gimme.    You can’t make the hand if the J is a singleton as you will have a natural spade loser to go along with a heart and two club losers. The only hope to make your contract is that East has QJ doubleton so rise with the ace. Play to make!

 
N-S
N
North
A1054
43
KJ9
7654
 
W
West
987
KQ82
876
Q108
 
E
East
QJ
J10762
5432
KJ
 
S
South
K632
A10
AQ10
A932