84. Missing a Trump Promotion Dealer: South, Vulnerability: Neither The key question for a defender is, ♠1098 “Have we won all our tricks out- ♥K42 side trumps?” If the answer is yes, ♦AQJ the aim must be to score as many ♣AKJ2 ♠J65 ♠7 trump tricks as possible, perhaps ♥1098 N ♥AQJ3 via a trump promotion. ♦ W E ♦ K10742 S 853 Contrast these layouts with ♣93 ♣108764 spades as trumps and East on lead. ♠AKQ432 ♥765 (A) Dummy ♦96 West ♠1098 East ♣Q5 ♠ ♦ ♠ J7 AK2 64 S W N E ♦9876 ♣- ♦QJ10 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass ♣ ♣ - ---- 6 2♠ Pass 4♠(1) End Declarer (1) Anyone for 3NT? Looking for a spade ♠AKQ slam is also possible — indeed 6♠ depends ♦543 on little more than West holding ♥A. ♣- Contract: 4♠ , Opening Lead: ♥10 (B) Dummy West ♠1098 East ♠Q7 ♦AKQ ♠64 How the Defence went ♦ ♣ ♦ West led ♥10, winning, then ♥9, 8762 - J109 ♥ ♥ ♣- ---- ♣6 East winning J and cashing A. So far so good. At trick four, unwilling Declarer ♥ ♠AKJ to lead Q and give declarer the ♦ often-dreaded ruff-and-discard, East 543 ♠ ♠ ♣- led 7. Declarer won AKQ, felling West’s ♠J. They cashed ♣Q, crossed In (A), East must simply lead to ♣AK shedding a diamond, and ♦Q and wait for his third-round claimed their game. diamond trick. On no account should they lead their club, or How the Defence should have gone declarer will ruff with ♠Q and dis- Rewinding to trick four, East can see card ♦2 from dummy. looking at dummy that there are no In (B), however, East can see more side-suit defensive tricks to be there are no diamond tricks. They had. If declarer needs a minor-suit should therefore lead their club. It finesse, it will work. doesn’t matter that this is giving Therefore, East should try for a declarer ruff-and-discard, for trump promotion by leading ♥Q declarer has no losers to discard. As (key play). If declarer ruffs low or not you see, whether declarer ruffs with at all, West ruffs with ♠J. If declarer ♠K (West discards) or with ♠J, ruffs high, West discards and waits West’s ♠Q, which would otherwise to score their ♠J later. One down. fall under ♠AK, is promoted. [email protected].