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Working out partners cards

Here are the basic guidelines for a defender playing third:

  1. Play high, if dummy has only low cards.
  2. Play the cheaper of touching highest cards.
  3. Keep a high card to beat an unplayed picture in dummy (NB: only save the ace to beat the queen or king)

. In (A), play the underlined card as East, after  4,  2:

A) Dummy
 J52
 
West 
 4 (led)
  East(you)
(i) Q 10 6
    (ii) Q 10 9
    (iii) Q 10 9 8
    (iv)  K 10 6
    (v)  K 10 9

In (B), you are West, the leader. What can you work out about the missing high cards, given the play to first round ( 3,  4, ...)?

B) Dummy
J 7  4
 
West
K 8 6 3
Declarer East
(a)  10
  (a)   A (b)   10
  (b)  Q (c)  9
  (c)  A (d)   Q
  (d)  A  
  • (a) Declarer would win  Q if he held it, so East holds  Q. East would play the cheaper  9 from Q109, so declarer has  9.
  • (b) Partner would play  A had he held it, so declarer has  A. Partner would play  9 from  109, so declarer also has  9.
  • (c) Declarer would win with  Q or  10 if held. Partner has  Q109.
  • (d) Partner would play  10 if he held  Q10, so declarer holds  10
South Deals
None Vul
9 5
J 5 2
A J 7 3 2
J 9 6
K 7 4
K 8 6 3
K 10 8 4
A Q
 
N
W   E
S
 
8 3
Q 10 9
Q 9 6
8 5 4 3 2
 
A Q J 10 6 2
A 7 4
5
K 10 7
West North East South
      1 
Dbl1 1 N Pass 2 
Pass Pass Pass  
  1. 1 NT okay, but he does have four hearts.

What happened
West hit upon  3 lead, when  4 or  4 were sound alternatives. Dummy played  2 and East played  9. Declarer won  A, crossed to  A, then ran  9. West won  K and tried to cash  K. Fatally. Declarer trumped, drew trumps, then drove out  AQ to set up a third-round winner. Eight tricks and part score made.
What should have happened
When at Trick One East’s  9 draws declarer’s  A, West knows that East holds  Q10. After winning  K at Trick Three, West leads  6. East wins  10 and returns  8 (lead high for hate) around to dummy’s weakness. West wins Q and cashes  A, to void himself. He then leads  8, underleading  K for a second time. East wins  Q and leads a third club. West trumps, and that means down one.
If you remember one thing...
Often you can work out the whereabouts of every higher card than partner’s third-hand play

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