SOUTH's 3S was forcing and North’s 4C showed a club control and good support for spades. How would you play 6S when West leads the ten of diamonds? If you play on simple lines, you will succeed either when you can draw the trumps without loss or when the king of hearts is onside. You can improve your chances with elimination play. Win the diamond lead with the ace and play a trump to dummy’s king. You then cash the two top clubs and ruff a club. Two more rounds of diamonds stand up and you discard one of your heart losers. Only then do you lead a second round of trumps from dummy. When East follows suit you can guarantee the contract by finessing the trump jack. If you lose to an originally doubleton queen, West will be end-played, forced to return a heart into your tenace or to give you a ruff-and-discard. As the cards lie, the trump finesse will win and the slam is yours. What if East shows out on the second trump? You should finesse the jack of trumps anyway, after which you can cross to the trump 9 to take a heart finesse.
The vulnerability is Love All.
What will you say on the West cards?
Answer With many hands that are 5-5 in the minors you would enter the bidding with the Unusual 2NT. Partner could then tell you which minor he preferred. On this particular hand, though, you are unlikely to win the auction (nor is a sacrifice particularly attractive at Love All). It is therefore more important to tell your partner that you would like a club lead. One of the purposes of overcalling is to suggest a good lead.
SOUTH's 3S was forcing and North’s 4C showed a club control and good support for spades. How would you play 6S when West leads the ten of diamonds? If you play on simple lines, you will succeed either when you can draw the trumps without loss or when the king of hearts is onside. You can improve your chances with elimination play. Win the diamond lead with the ace and play a trump to dummy’s king. You then cash the two top clubs and ruff a club. Two more rounds of diamonds stand up and you discard one of your heart losers. Only then do you lead a second round of trumps from dummy. When East follows suit you can guarantee the contract by finessing the trump jack. If you lose to an originally doubleton queen, West will be end-played, forced to return a heart into your tenace or to give you a ruff-and-discard. As the cards lie, the trump finesse will win and the slam is yours. What if East shows out on the second trump? You should finesse the jack of trumps anyway, after which you can cross to the trump 9 to take a heart finesse.
Answer