This deal was played in the South Florida Bridge/Golf Players Imp Game. South held:

Q J 8 6
4
A K J 10 9 7 6 4
--

 

With both sides vulnerable, he opened 1 and partner responded 1. Now what?

 

Both players went with the tried and true concept of getting in that 4-card major, so they rebid 1. That 8-card diamond suit is jumping out at me, but I suppose I understand 1. Partner now bids 2, fourth suit forcing to game. It's time to rebid the diamonds, and both players in the team match bid only 2. I think 3 is more to the point. I'll spare the details of the rest of the auction (frankly, because I wasn't told them!), but one table reached 5 and the other played in 6. Both received the Q lead and this was the layout:

 

A 2 A K 8 7 6 2 A 10 8 7 6
Q J 8 6 4 A K J 10 9 7 6 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
As you can see, 5 doesn't present much of a challenge, so let's take the helm in 6. The percentage play with 9 cards in a suit missing the queen is to lay down the ace-king (9-never). If the Q falls, you have 12 top tricks. That means that a good declarer says to himself: "If diamonds come in, there is nothing to think about; so, what should I do in case I have a diamond loser?" One option is the K onside. Is there anything else?  Set up hearts? There seem to be not enough dummy entries for that. A squeeze?

 

Declarer won the A and discarded a spade. Next came the top diamonds, but they were 3-1 (East had Qxx). Now what? Declarer floundered around a bit, and eventually took a spade finesse for down 1. This was the Real Deal:

 

Vul: Both Dlr: South	A 2 A K 8 7 6 2 A 10 8 7 6
9 7 5 3 Q 10 3 5 Q J 9 5 2		K 10 4 J 9 5 2 Q 8 3 K 4 3
	Q J 8 6 4 A K J 10 9 7 6 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you spot the winning line? No, don't tell me you would have taken that anti-percentage diamond finesse.  Declarer's error (as so often happens) was at trick one. Winning the A was a mistake. Declarer should play low from dummy at trick one and ruff the club. Now come the top diamonds, getting the bad news. However, declarer does not have to rely strictly on the spade finesse. He can take advantage of a 4-3 heart break. He plays the AK and ruffs a heart. Now he plays his losing diamond to East. Game over. If East plays a spade, that presents the 12th trick immediately. A fourth heart sets up the 12th trick there. So, East has to play a club, but that revives the dummy. Declarer wins the A, ruffs the 4th round of hearts and still has the A to get back to the 5th heart. Winning the A at trick one, prematurely removed dummy's late entry for setting up the hearts.