How to Play Jxx Opposite A10x

Author: Larry Cohen
Date of publish: 05/01/2022
Level: Intermediate to Advanced

This deal was (mis)played online. See if you can do better.

South held...

♠ 2  
♥ AK754  
♦ A1052  
♣ A105.

He opened 1♠ and after a 1♠ overcall, he was raised to 2♠. He made a game-try bid of 3♠ which partner accepted by jumping to 4♠.

♠ Q83
♥ Q62
♦ KQ94
♣ J32
 
♠ 2
♥ AK754
♦ A1052
♣ A105

The ♠A was led (ace-from ace-king) and East discouraged. West shifted to the ♠8. 

If hearts are 3-2, there will be no problem (at most a spade and two clubs to lose). But hearts were 4-1 (RHO had four of them). Declarer eventually guessed to lead a club from dummy to his ♠10, but you can see from the full layout that he was down one. 

 

 

 

 

 

Vul:Both
Dlr: South
♠ Q83
♥ Q62
♦ KQ94
♣ J32
 
♠ AKJ754
♥ 3
♦ 873
♣ K96
  ♠ 1096
♥ J1098
♦ J6
♣ Q874
  ♠ 2
♥ AK754
♦ A1052
♣ A105
 

No matter how declarer played clubs, he had to lose two tricks there and one in each major.

How should it be played? The title was a red herring. Don't touch those clubs! At trick two (on the diamond switch), play low from dummy and capture East's ♠J with your ♠A.

Draw 3 rounds of trump ending in dummy. Now play the ♠K then the ♠9. If East trumps the third diamond, he has to play a black suit. If a spade, discard a club (loser on loser) and then use the ♠Q to reach dummy to throw the other club on the ♠Q. If East breaks clubs, play low from hand. West wins the ♠K, but now you can cross in diamonds to finesse in clubs.

What if East doesn't trump the third diamond? Then overtake the ♠9 with the ♠10 and play a trump. East has the same dilemma as above. He has to play a black suit and you lose only two tricks between clubs and spades. 

By staying off clubs and making East use his trump winner to play a black suit, you score a brilliant 620.