♠ - ♥ - ♦ 2 ♣ 2 |
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♠ A Q ♥ - ♦ - ♣ - |
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♠ K ♥ 2 ♦ - ♣ - |
Spades are trumps. You cannot score a trick with your ♠ K if you are on lead. But if dummy is leading, you can score your ♠ K “en passant”, by leading either card. If East ruffs with ♠ Q, you overruff with ♠ K; and if East ruffs with ♠ A. you discard, and ♠ K is promoted.
South Deals None Vul |
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East | South | West | North |
1 ♥ | 2 ♣ | 2 ♥ | |
Pass | 2 NT1 | Pass | 4 ♥2 |
Pass | Pass | Pass |
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4 ♥ by North |
What happened
Declarer won ♣ K lead with ♣ A (West’s overcall made it likely East’s ♣ 8 was singleton). He then cashed the ♥ A, felling West’s ♥ J, and followed with ♥ K (hoping for West to have ♥ QJ, his only chance of avoiding a trump loser).
West discarded on the second trump, and now declarer cashed ♠ AK, trumped a spade (West discarding), and led a trump towards ♥ 10. East took ♥ Q, then led ♠ Q10. Declarer could only score ♥ 10 and ♦ AK - down one.
What should have happened
Even after cashing two top trumps, declarer can make not only his contract, but also an overtrick. It’s all about scoring his trumps:
Win ♣ A, cash ♥ AK, then follow with ♠ AK and ruff a third spade. Cash ♦ AK, ruff a third diamond, then ruff a fourth spade with dummy’s last trump. Here is the three-card ending with the lead, crucially, in dummy:
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♦ 3 lead ensured a trick, an almost unbelievable 11th, for ♥ 10. Both defenders (in a sense) won the last two tricks. Game made plus one.
If you remember one thing...
Scoring trumps “en passant”.