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LHO leads the ♣A and I find that my partner has 10 HCP to go along with my 10 HCP. That means that this was supposed to be a part-score deal. Moreover, partner has a very nice heart holding and defending 4♥, especially doubled, would have been a good score. But here I am in 4♠x.
I am expecting that LHO will continue with the ♣K and then give his partner a club ruff. But he stops when he sees his partner’s ♣9, as they were playing upside down signals (high means “I do not want the suit continued”). Since playing the ♣K would set up Dummy’s ♣Q, he switches to the ♥10, which I duck in Dummy and win perforce in my hand. I start the spades with my ♠J and it goes low spade, low spade, ♦4!
This is bad news. I can draw all of LHO’s four spades to the king, but it will use up all of Dummy’s trump and I would have two diamond losers in my hand.
But the 4-0 break contains good news: RHO cannot ruff anything. Since I need to play clubs from my hand, and that is where I am, I lead my ♣8 (it doesn’t matter which one I lead but I train myself to unblock suits). LHO grabs his ♣K and shifts to his ♦7. RHO rises with her ♦A and returns her ♦J. I win, pitching a heart from Dummy.
Expecting my LHO to have at least 3 clubs and maybe more—actually I have enough information at this point to know that LHO is 4=3=3=3 but I didn’t use it—I lead to the ♣Q. Both opponents follow, making Dummy’s ♣5 a winner, once trump is drawn.
I need to return to my hand to finish drawing trump and I have to set up a heart trick for my 10th trick, so I lead the ♥Q, which RHO ducks, so I pitch a diamond. I now lead the ♥J which RHO covers but I ruff. LHO had shown 3 hearts by his support double (Listen to the bidding) so I was in no danger of an overruff.
Now it is all over; I just need to draw LHO’s 3 trumps. I start with the ♠9, to stay in my hand if he does not cover, which he doesn’t. Next, I lead a low spade to Dummy’s ♠A10, covering whatever LHO plays, then I draw his last trump and play the ♣5.
4♠x, making: what a deal!
It helped—let me correct that—it was crucial that the opponents’ cards were favorably placed. But that said, making 4♠x with 20 HCP was exhilarating.
It was also critical that LHO missed a chance to set me. Did you see it?
After LHO won his ♣A, he exited with a heart. If he exits with a diamond, his partner wins the ♦A and must return a diamond to defeat the contract. That will allow my LHO, after getting in with his ♣K, to play his ♦Q, forcing me to ruff in Dummy (or lose the trick). This would shorten Dummy’s trumps and prevent me from picking up the ♠K, which eventually becomes the setting trick.
It is a rather subtle defense and I benefited from that fact, for one needs to be a very experienced bridge player to see it beforehand, as well as have a partner who is at least somewhat onto what is going on. I do not think I would have seen it at the table if I were in LHO’s seat. One reason is that normally the defense does not want to help Declarer ruff in the hand with the fewer trumps (usually the Dummy). However, on this deal, forcing me to ruff in Dummy was the only way to beat the contract.
As you declare in the coming week, after you partner has overbid and you get doubled, may the opponents’ cards lie favorable for you, as well. And may your opponents miss the very subtle defense that can defeat you.
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