Achilles’ heel

It is very often at trick one that the fate of a contract is decided. So, never let yourself give in to an excess of precipitation at this crucial moment…

Teams. Dealer East. All Vul. Sitting South, you receive the following hand:

East opens 1♦️ on your right and you overcall 1♠️ (considering your hand to good to preempt with 3♠️), and you partner raises to game (4♠️).

West leads the Diamond ten and now is the moment to give deep thought about your game plan before calling for the first card from dummy.

How many winners do you have right now?

You have nine with seven high Spades and the two red aces. You are one short.

Can the Club Ace be onside?

East has opened 1♦️, so you can add up high card points and get set: 10 HCP (you) + 12 HCP (North) = 22 HCP. This means there are 18 left for East-West, so it not excluded that West has the Club Ace and East the remaining 14 HCP. Despite that, try to discover a line of play that allows you to win your contract regardless of the location of the cards and against any defense.

What technique is this deal about?

We find all the criteria for an elimination and endplay:

– A large number of trumps (12!).

– Side suits that are a priori easy to eliminate.

– An exit card towards East, the 10 of Clubs:

Once Hearts and Diamonds are eliminated from both hands, you will play the 3 of Clubs from your hand and cover West’s card – either with the 10 or the King – in order to endplay East who will be forced to deliver your tenth trick to you on a silver platter.