[SimonFa]

This came up in a real game and as far as I could tell its a classic textbook approach, or at least I took for one as I couldn't see another line to guarantee 12 trick and possible make 13.

Teams.

6♠, opps silent and the bidding is immaterial so I won't give it as a distraction for A/I to clutter the thread, however novices and beginners may want to think about how they would have got there as a separate exercise, using whatever system they prefer, because you really don't want to be missing these slams.

♠AT63 ♥K6 ♦AQ92 ♣542

♠KQ98 ♥A8 ♦KJ6 ♣AQT3

Lead = ♥J, from JT FWIW

When you test Spades they're 3-2.

With the correct line you are guaranteed 12 tricks and possibly 13 if they are there to be made.

Use spoiler so others can have a go, no point in the first post giving the correct answer and having it on view:)

sqrbracketon spoiler sqrbracketoff
answer
sqrbracketon /spoiler sqrbracketoff

PS For similar and progressively more advanced problems I strongly recommend BridgeMaster 2000. If you don't want to get the CD (one of my best purchases) then you can play the hands on line. I also recommend Eddie Kanter's Take All Your Chances. (As the BBC would say, other Bridge programs and books are available.)

Edit: Clubs corrected. Thanks neilkaz

[neilkaz]

Simon, please check to make sure that these are the proper hands and then re-post. Clearly there's a typo here in the ♣ suit.

Thx Simon. I see that you've now posted the correct hand.

[helene_t]

Spoiler

Eliminate the trumps and the red suits before taking the club finese

[SimonFa]

 helene_t, on 2014-July-14, 13:48, said:

Spoiler

Eliminate the trumps and the red suits before taking the club finese

Yes and the lesson for the novice is to make sure they end in dummy to take the finesse

[helene_t]

btw, I don't think you should try to make 13 tricks, at least not if playing against strong defenders. LHO might refuse to win the first club trick even if he holds the king, and you will need your last trumps to go to the dummy to take the second finesse ....

[Cyberyeti]

 helene_t, on 2014-July-14, 15:20, said:

btw, I don't think you should try to make 13 tricks, at least not if playing against strong defenders. LHO might refuse to win the first club trick even if he holds the king, and you will need your last trumps to go to the dummy to take the second finesse ....

Also AQ9x is sufficient to make 12 guaranteed.

[Mbodell]

 helene_t, on 2014-July-14, 15:20, said:

btw, I don't think you should try to make 13 tricks, at least not if playing against strong defenders. LHO might refuse to win the first club trick even if he holds the king, and you will need your last trumps to go to the dummy to take the second finesse ....

Unless LHO has something like stiff ♦T, which might give you more chances of transportation.

[Vampyr]

Isn't there a way to change the subtitle of the thread if you have a typo? It must be so embarrassing.

[neilkaz]

 Cyberyeti, on 2014-July-14, 16:38, said:

Also AQ9x is sufficient to make 12 guaranteed.

Ah this reminds me of one of my favorite bridge moments over 25 years ago when I was a developing beginner. I was declaring 6NT and dummy had AQ7 in ♣ and I had 3 little in hand. I was familiar with this type of endplay from a Kantar quiz book and really didn't want to go set if I had to lead up to the Q and it lost to the K. Fortunately, as I cashed my other 10 winners, only 1 ♣ was discarded so there was no doubt that RHO had 3 of them. Fortunately, LHO had a ♣ lower than the 7, and she (a LM but not a regional star) fell asleep and played low and I just claimed 12 tricks and played the 7 endplaying RHO who had to win and lead back from her King.

LHO apologized quickly but RHO was still most displeased and these two women went at it for at least a minute. As we moved to the next table, PD gave me a "well done" and a "that's why I like playing with you".

[AyunuS]

Seems easy enough. Just draw 3 rounds of spades and all the hearts and diamonds. Then lead a low club to the 10. LHO will either let you have it, in which case you only lose 1 in clubs, or take it and be forced to either get endplayed on the next round of clubs or concede a sluff and ruff. Either way, you win the rest.