Bridge

Sometimes we are lucky enough to be given the chance to make an unmakeable contract. Be sure not to let such opportunities slip.

Partner opens a 12-14 NT and you decide to give 4H a shot, pre-empting the opponents out of any possible spade contract and concealing your distributional assets. North leads the ace of clubs, and you can see that the contract is flawed. Fortunately North cannot read his partner's small club as a singleton, and at trick two he switches to the queen of diamonds. What now?

The actual declarer sighed with relief, crossed to the king of hearts and discarded a club loser on the king of diamonds. His plan was to draw trump, knock out the ace of spades, and claim. A reasonable plan, but it didn't cater for a bad trump break: when North showed out on the second heart the contract had to go down. Can you do better?

You might cater for a 4-1 break by cashing the ace of hearts before leading low to the king. If trump break 3-2 take your discard and return to hand with a diamond ruff to draw the last trump. When North shows out you need a bit of luck: clubs must be 5-1 and the player with the singleton club must hold the ace of spades. Playing on this assumption, you immediately knock out the ace of spades. South wins the second round and plays a heart to your queen, but you exit with your fourth heart.

South must now let you into dummy with a diamond or a spade. If he plays a spade that suit must break 3-3 and you can discard two clubs on the king of diamonds and the fourth spade. If he plays a diamond you win the king, discarding a club, and return to hand with a diamond ruff. Cash your remaining trump, discarding clubs from dummy. If North started with four spades he is squeezed in the black suits.