Here is the third excellent defensive falsecard this week. Against five diamonds, you (West) lead the spade ace and continue with the spade queen. Declarer ruffs and cashes the diamond ace. How would you hope to collect three defensive tricks?
South preferred not to open two clubs, because two clubs — two diamondS — three diamonds consumes so much bidding space. He rebid three spades, not four or five clubs, because he was happy to pass three no-trump if North could bid that.
Sitting West was John Kranyak of New York, three times a world junior champion. If he had played his diamond six under South's ace, declarer would have cashed the diamond king, getting home if the queen dropped or if East had the heart king (the club 10 being the dummy entry for the heart finesse). But Kranyak played his 10.
Now South thought he had matters under control. He played a club to dummy's 10 and ran the diamond nine. If West's diamond 10 had been a singleton, declarer would have picked up the suit and lost only one spade and one heart. And if West had the doubleton Q-10 of diamonds, South, after losing to West's queen, planned to ruff the third spade, cash the club ace, ruff a club on the board, and take the heart finesse.
But disaster struck. Kranyak won with his diamond queen and returned his remaining trump. Now declarer could not get into the dummy to take the heart finesse, which was winning all the time, of course. He lost one spade, one heart and one diamond.
South preferred not to open two clubs, because two clubs — two diamondS — three diamonds consumes so much bidding space. He rebid three spades, not four or five clubs, because he was happy to pass three no-trump if North could bid that.
Sitting West was John Kranyak of New York, three times a world junior champion. If he had played his diamond six under South's ace, declarer would have cashed the diamond king, getting home if the queen dropped or if East had the heart king (the club 10 being the dummy entry for the heart finesse). But Kranyak played his 10.
Now South thought he had matters under control. He played a club to dummy's 10 and ran the diamond nine. If West's diamond 10 had been a singleton, declarer would have picked up the suit and lost only one spade and one heart. And if West had the doubleton Q-10 of diamonds, South, after losing to West's queen, planned to ruff the third spade, cash the club ace, ruff a club on the board, and take the heart finesse.
But disaster struck. Kranyak won with his diamond queen and returned his remaining trump. Now declarer could not get into the dummy to take the heart finesse, which was winning all the time, of course. He lost one spade, one heart and one diamond.