“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 dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S 6 5 3
H J 10 8 6 3
D A 8 5 3
C 9
WEST
S A J 9
H K Q
D K Q 10 4
C A K J 4
EAST
S 8 7 4 2
H None
D 9 7 6 2
C 10 7 6 5 3
SOUTH
S K Q 10
H A 9 7 5 4 2
D J
C Q 8 2
South West North East
1 H Dbl 4 H Pass
Pass Dbl All Pass
Opening lead – Choose it
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