Ted's Bridge World The Master Play

Movie #10: Page 2

The full deal:

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This one was not difficult.  Your partner had just one opportunity to signal in a red suit, and he showed you an odd number of diamonds.  You therefore discarded a heart yourself, ultimately collecting a pair of diamond tricks to defeat the contract.  Had you pitched a diamond, declarer would have played on that suit, setting up his nine-spot for a twelfth winner.  You needed only a count of the red-suit distribution.  Had partner discarded a high diamond or the heart deuce, you would have known to keep your heart stopper.  (Note that a discard of the heart seven here would be ambiguous, and therefore a poor choice.)

A few rounds later, though, the situation wasn't as friendly for your side:

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Still sitting west, you lead the 8 again.  As before, declarer arranges to win three top spades plus four club tricks with the aid of a finesse, partner following suit to every lead, leaving this now-familiar ending:

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South cashes the jack of spades.  What is your discard this time?

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