Bridge Problem 3: Answer

 

North
8763
A743
72
AQ3
 

West
5
QJ953
Q1054
1087
 

East
KQJ1092
10
J96
J96
 

South
A4
K86
AK83
K542
 

Dealer: East
Vul: Neither
E S W N
2 DBL P 3
P 4 P 5
P P P  
        
Opening lead: 5

 

South must win the A, take two top trumps in dummy, cash the AK and ruff a diamond, return to hand with the heart king, and draw the last round of trump (they break). Now a spade play puts East on lead with nothing but spades left (if East ducks the spade, declarer has 11 tricks). When East plays another spade, South discards a heart from hand. Now the next spade from East can be ruffed by South and West is squeezed, having to give declarer the game-going trick in one of the red suits.

No other way of rectifying the count for the squeeze will work. Ducking a heart to West before trumps are drawn allows East to get a heart ruff. Ducking a heart to West after trumps are drawn -- which means after the diamond ruff -- allows West to cash the fourth diamond or play a heart, eliminating the last entry to dummy.

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