Bridge: Nov. 10, 2024

“Sorry, we’re clothed.” – a sign on the door of a strip club taking a day off.In an end play, declarer gives a defender the lead when any lead helps declarer. The presence of a trump suit, especially when declarer has extra trumps, adds a dimension to end plays, but declarer must eliminate a defender’s safe exit cards, a process called “stripping” the hand.

In today’s deal, North’s leap to four hearts is preemptive, and West doubles that outrage with his 23 high-card points. He leads the king of clubs and shifts to the king of diamonds.

Declarer fears he will lose two spades if West has A-J-x; declarer sets out to end-play West, but he must strip West of exit cards. At the third trick, declarer ruffs a diamond. When he cashes the ace of trumps next, East discards; but South continues thus: club ruff, diamond ruff, club ruff, diamond ruff. South then exits with a trump, and when West wins, he must concede the contract. If West leads a spade, South loses only one spade; if a club, South ruffs in dummy and discards a spade.

Should East have pulled his partner’s second double to five clubs? Maybe so in practice, but five clubs is down one if South leads his singleton diamond and gets a ruff and later wins a spade trick. And four hearts doubled could and should have been defeated. Since North-South were clearly bidding on distribution, West’s opening lead should have been the king of trumps. He would get back in with a high club to cash the queen of trumps, and South would end a trick short.

A shift to the king of trumps at Trick Two would be too late.South dealerN-S vulnerableNORTHS 6 5 3H J 10 8 6 3D A 8 5 3C 9WESTS A J 9H K QD K Q 10 4C A K J 4EASTS 8 7 4 2H NoneD 9 7 6 2C 10 7 6 5 3SOUTHS K Q 10H A 9 7 5 4 2D JC Q 8 2

South West North East

1 H Dbl 4 H Pass

Pass Dbl All Pass

Opening lead – Choose it©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.