Tenerife hands

Tenerife hands (3) - No Guggenheim defence

This was the 1st deal from Italy v Sweden (Tenerife, 3rd round)

North dealer, Love all

                             8
                             A Q J 7
                             Q 9
                             K J 10 8 3 2

A 4 2                                     J 10 7 6
8 6 3 2                                   K 5 4
10 6 4 3                                 J 8 5
7 6                                        A Q 5

                            K Q 9 5 3
                            10 9
                             A K 7 2
                            9 4

South plays 3NT after an uncontested auction. At both tables a diamond is led to the nine-jack-queen. Now declarer runs the nine of clubs. Were Mrs Guggenheim sitting East, she would have won the queen and fire back another diamond. This way, in the fulness of time the defenders must prevail.

But the actual Easts were no Guggenheims. They ducked the club (this makes no difference in the actual deal but it is cute) then they won the second round and switched to the 6 (or 7) of spades. If declarer is clairvoyant enough not to cover it, he makes the contract but obviously both declarers played the king covered by the ace. Now both Wests played back a spade, to the jack and queen. Declarer now can make the contract. Both played the same way: diamond to dummy and king of clubs taken by East's ace. And now both Easts advanced the 7 (or 6) of spades. But both Souths were deceived and played low, so the 7 (or 6) won the trick and the contract was beaten after all at both tables for a push (In the first half of this match, 8 out of 10 boards were pushes, actually "identical pushes", i.e. same contract and same result at both tables).

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