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Answers to quiz on declarer play hands that need some thought.

Hand 1 :

Contract : 3NT by East.   Lead : Jack of spades by South.

Answer : Dummy takes trick three with the queen of spades, having held up at trick two so that North has no spades left( If she has, then they are breaking 4-4). East has nine tricks (1S, 2H, 4D [5 if finesse works] and 2C), but must be careful to keep South off lead otherwise spade tricks will be lost. This determines that the diamond finesse must be taken so that if it loses, North will be on lead ie lead the two of diamonds from East and finesse the ten.

Hand 2 :

Contract : 4S by East. Lead : Queen of diamonds by South.

Answer : East has nine tricks on top (5S, 2H and 2C).The tenth and eleventh will come from ruffs in dummy on the third heart or third diamond or both. If trumps break 4-1, you will need to leave the last trump out until you have taken your two ruffs.

Hand 3 :

Contract : Six hearts by West.  Lead Ten of diamonds.

Answer : This hand is essentially about setting up a trick with a small card in East's spade suit, by continually ruffing spades. When South takes trick one with the ace of diamonds, you must carefully unblock by playing your queen under the ace. You then have four entries to ruff out the spades---nine and eight of hearts, ace of spades and the jack of diamonds. The three of spades becomes your twelfth trick. Needless to say, you don't finesse your club.

Hand 4 :

Contract : Four spades by West.   Lead : Jack of diamonds.

Answer : West has nine top tricks (6S, 2H and 1C) and the tenth must come by setting up a heart. After the first three diamonds have been lost, take the ace and king of hearts and ruff one heart (or two if necessary) with a high trump before drawing the rest of the trumps. The spades are crucial entries for the play of the hearts.

Hand 5 :

Contract : 3NT  by West.   Lead : Queen of hearts.

Answer : West has seven tricks on top (4D, 1C and 2H). The spades may provide two more if the ace of spades is with North. You must lead the suit twice from the West hand. If this fails, take up chess.  The hold-up is inadvisable here as the club suit is also vulnerable.

Hand 6 :

Contract : 3NT by East. Lead Jack of spades.

Answer :  There are seven tricks on top (2S, 1H, 3D and 1C) and the odds favour the diamond suit for two more rather than the finesses in hearts or clubs. When the suit breaks 4-1, there are only eight tricks and the heart finesse must then be tried for the ninth.

Hand 7 :

Contract :  4H by East. Lead: King of diamonds.

Answer : There is much work to be done here initially. Having taken the ace of diamond, you must delay the drawing of trumps since the loss of the diamond finesse will result in three more losers, 2D and 1C. Play the spades immediately and discard diamonds. Diamonds can then be ruffed twice in dummy.

Hand 8 :

Contract :   3NT by East. Lead : King of spades.

Answer :  The ace of spades must be held up to the third round.  Of the two red suit finesses, the diamond must be selected as, should North gain the lead ,she can do no harm. East eventually comes home to nine tricks (1S, 1H, 3D and 4C).

Hand 9 :

Contract :  4S by West. Lead : Jack of clubs.

Answer :  Trick one goes jack, queen, king, ace. Somehow the diamond  (or club) losers must be dumped and this is the perfect scenario for the ruffing finesse. Draw trumps and then play the ace of hearts followed by the queen of hearts. If South covers with the king, ruff and return to East to throw the losing diamond on the jack of hearts. If South doesn't cover the queen of hearts, throw a diamond immediately. One way or another, your diamond losers will disappear and you will make ten or eleven tricks (6S, 1D, 1C and 2 or 3 H).

Hand 10 :

Contract :   5C by West. Lead : Ace of spades.

Answer: East ruffs the second round of spades. If she draws three rounds of trumps, then when the ace of hearts is lost later, the defenders will cash the setting trick with the third spade. So declarer can only draw two rounds of trumps and must  then force out the ace of hearts while she still has a trump to cope with another spade lead.