After several years in the dungeon, an old man in the cell next to
Dantes smuggles this bridge hand to Dantes carved out on a spoon.

Dantes take 4 as a splinter bid. What should he do?

 South
   A J 10 9 4
   A 7 5
   A J 6
   A 3

Dantes bids 6. I have all the time in the world to investigate a
grand, he says, but why tell the opponents anything?

Dantes uses the spoon to dig his way out and journies to Monte
Cristo, where he discovers the dummy hidden in a chest of jewels.

 South
   A J 10 9 4
   A 7 5
   A J 6
   A 3

I'm rich in trumps! screams Dantes, half mad. He pushes aside the
jewels and finds the opening lead, the jack of hearts.

How will he play it?

 South
   A J 10 9 4
   A 7 5
   A J 6
   A 3

This is a strip and end play. I've studied this for years and now I
have my chance. Dantes takes East's queen with his ace, cashes one
trump, West discarding a heart, and plays the ace of diamonds. Then
he ruffs a diamond, comes back with a trump lead (West throws a heart
and East a club) and ruffs his other diamond, as both opponents
follow. Then he cashes the king of hearts, East discarding a diamond.

Dantes hears footsteps, grabs the cards and a few jewels, then heads
off for Paris.

 South
   A J 10 9 4
   A 7 5
   A J 6
   A 3

Dantes sends the endposition to his arch enemy and challenges him to
choose the winning play. Lead a heart to endplay West or cash the
ace of clubs and lead a club to endplay East if he holds the king?
One million francs I wager.

 South
   J 10 4
   7
   —
   A 3

Dantes' enemy says this is a trick! Either opponent may hold the
king of clubs. It's 50-50. But I play a heart. If East has the king
of clubs, West could have defeated me with a club lead to begin with.
So the only truely legitimate play is to endplay West!

 South
   J 10 4
   7
   —
   A 3

Dantes cries out. East has the king! A club lead does not defeat 6!
I can play low from dummy, preserving the queen for an endplay (it's
true, I wouldn't do it, but this is a movie).

Besides, it's not a 50-50 guess at all. West has shown 9 red cards,
proven. East must hold more clubs than West and is, therefore, more
likely to hold the king. Then there is the theory of forced discards
versus selective discards - which I won't go into here, because it
took me 19 years in a prison to understand this theory. Give me my
money.

THE END

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 South
   A J 10 9 4
   A 7 5
   A J 6
   A 3

South 1 6	West pass all pass	North 4	East pass
Opening lead: J

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