Bridge Problem 6

East / all



 4 3
5 3 2
Q 10 9 8 3
A J 2
?
N
W
E
S
?
A 10 7
A 8 6
A J 6 5
K Q 10
EastSouthWestNorth
33 NTPassPass
Pass
West leads 5, East plays the jack.
Problem: Should you take the trick with the ace or not? If so, if not, how do you plan your play?
For solution go to the bottom of the page[IMAGE]











Solution:

In this case it is dangerous not to take the spade trick "for safety's sake". East might find the heart switch! The solution is: you should not give East the opportunity to find the fatal switch. Take the first trick, go to dummy via J and play Q. If West holds K and if West has no spades (which is very likely, for East should have seven spades for his opening bid) you have nine tricks.

Conclusion: holding up can be risky if you have another weak suit.
The full division of cards was:
East/all



 4 3
5 3 2
Q 10 9 8 3
A J 2
5
K 10 7 4
K 7 2
8 7 6 5 4
N
W
E
S
 K Q J 9 8 6 2
Q J 9
4
9 3
A 10 7
A 8 6
A J 6 5
K Q 10
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