In these puzzles, presented by dutch junior international Frank Visser, you are one of the defenders in a game of bridge. You are asked to find the best defence. Enjoy!
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| S/EW | ♠ | K J 10 3
| | | | ♥ | A 10 3 | | ♦ | 9 3 | | ♣ | Q 10 9 7 | | ♠ | 8 2 |  | | | | ♥ | Q J 5 | | | | ♦ | K 10 8 7 2 | | | | ♣ | A 3 2 | | |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| — | — | — | 1NT | pass
| 2♣ | pass | 2♦ | | pass | 3NT | pass | pass | | pass | | | |
IMP-scoring (team match), so West will do his utmost to defeat the contract. Overtricks (or extra undertricks) are relatively unimportant.
West leads the ♦2. East wins with the ♦A and continues with the ♦J, South following suit with the ♦4 and the ♦5.
Since dummy's ♦9 now disappears, West's ♦1087 become equals. South still has the ♦Q of course.
If West now plays a small diamond, he will succeed if East has another diamond (very well possible, since from originally ♦AJx he will return the middle card, the ♦J). EW will thus score five diamond tricks and the ♣A: down two.
But what if East started with the bare ♦AJ?
How should West defend? |
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Solution
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| N/EW | ♠ | A K 5 | | | | ♥ | 7 3 2 | | ♦ | A 5 4 | | ♣ | K 9 8 3 | | | | | ♠ | 7 6 3 | | | | ♥ | A K 10 6 5 | | | | ♦ | J 3 2
| | | | ♣ | Q 5 |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| — | 1♣ | 1♥ | 3NT | | pass | pass | pass | |
West leads the ♥9. How should East defend?
This concerns IMP play (team match). So East will do his utmost to defeat the contract. Overtricks and extra down tricks are relatively unimportant. |
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Solution
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Defending is cooperating (2) ** |
| W/All | ♠ | A K Q 7 6
| | | | ♥ | K J 10
| | ♦ | Q 6 3
| | ♣ | A K
| | ♠ | 5
| | | | | ♥ | A 7 3
| | | | ♦ | A K J 8 4
| | | | ♣ | Q 10 8 2
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| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| 1♦ | double | pass | 1♠ | | pass | 4♠ | pass | pass | | pass | | | |
West leads the ♦A, East contributing the ♦7 and South the ♦5. EW use classical signals, so high-low is a 'come on'-signal.
How should West defend? |
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Solution
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Don't give declarer the chance he is looking for *** |
| N/— | ♠ | 10 8 7 3 | | | | ♥ | A K 7 | | ♦ | Q 10 8 5 4 | | ♣ | J | | ♠ | K Q J 4 | | | | | ♥ | 10 5 | | | | ♦ | J 3 | | | | ♣ | Q 10 8 6 4 | | |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| — | pass | pass | 2NT1 | | pass | 3♣2 | pass | 3NT3 | | pass | 4NT4 | pass | 6NT5 | | pass | pass
| pass | |
1 19-21
2 Puppet Stayman: enquires after South's holding in the major suits
3 Neither a four-card nor a five-card major suit
4 Quantitative raise (invitational to 6NT), therefore not forcing
5 Maximum Optimistic bidding by North! Even if South has the maximum 21 points, the sum in NS still only adds up to 31. On the other hand: North's five-card suit is often valuable but 6♦ might be better... Of course West leads the ♠K, which wins.
It is time for West to show what stuff he is made of. Which card does he play at trick two? |
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Solution
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Save partner from embarrassment *** |
| W/All | ♠ | A 6 5 | | | | ♥ | K J 7 5 | | ♦ | K J 8 3 | | ♣ | A 2 | | ♠ | K 9 | | | | | ♥ | A Q | | | | ♦ | A 10 9 | | | | ♣ | 9 8 6 5 4 3 | | |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| 1♣ | double | 1♦ | 1♠ | | pass | pass | double1 | 3♠ | pass
| 4♠ | pass | pass | | pass | | | |
1 Take-out
This was the bidding at one of many tables at the 2004 European Championships for teams in Malmö, Sweden. A strange auction, but not an impossible one: East is unwilling to sell out in 1♠ and South suddenly comes up with a jump: it's clear he has six spades but had too few points to jump in spades at the first round of the bidding.
Anyway, at most tables South declares 4♠, although after different auctions.
Almost any West leads a club. Our West elects the ♣4 (third or fifth best). Declarer wins with dummy's ♣A (East the ♣7, South the ♣10) and returns, somewhat surprisingly, the ♣2. East wins with the ♣Q, South the ♣J.
Which club should West play to this track to save East from embarrassment (after all, East could have passed 1♠, so if NS make 4♠, East will have egg in his face)? |
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Solution
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| S/— | ♠ | K 7 | | | | ♥ | K 5 2
| | ♦ | K 10
| | ♣ | Q J 10 9 3 2
| | | | | ♠ | 6 5 4 2
| | | | ♥ | A Q 4
| | | | ♦ | Q 5 4
| | | | ♣ | A K 6
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| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| — | —
| — | 1♦ | | pass | 2♣ | pass | 2NT | | pass | 3SA | pass
| pass | pass
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West leads the ♥10 (a natural lead, so West denies possession of the ♥J), declarer ducks in dummy.
If East takes his time, he will come to the conclusion that there is only one chance to defeat this contract. How should he plan the defence? |
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Solution
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