HOMEPAGE > QUIZ > HAMMAN'S TIPS > WEEK 26

Dealer : North
Vuln : Both
HAMMAN'S TIPS #26
by Bob Hamman
the world's #1 ranked player

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     North Jacoby
    10 9 6
    7
    A Q J 5 3
    A 10 8 5
West
K Q J 5 2
Q J 6
7 6 4
4 2
East
8 7
9 8 5 4 2
K 10 8 2
K 6
 

   South Hamman
    A 4 3
    A K 10 3
    9
    Q J 9 7 3

Overbidders require a little luck now and then. I won
the first trick and cashed the ace-king of hearts.
When I saw West's jack, it looked like Q-J-x on my
left. So far so good. I led a diamond to the ace and
played the queen. East played his king and I ruffed.
Now I ruffed a heart, and the queen appeared, as
expected. Now I could ruff a diamond and, if it lived,
play for the club finesse, but I figured East was more
likely to hold the king of clubs, since West already
showed up with at least 8 points. Also, I had a chance
to set up the fifth diamond in dummy and discard both
of my spades (one on the diamond jack and one on
the fifth diamond).

I cashed the ace of clubs, then the jack of diamonds,
discarding a spade. Then I ruffed a diamond and West
could not overruff. I led the 10 of hearts. West ruffed
and I overruffed in dummy and led the last diamond to
pitch my last spade. East could take his king of clubs,
but that was all.

My tip is: Before committing yourself to a line of play,
it sometimes helps to attack a side suit to see if
something good happens there. In this case, I saw
that the heart honors were probably ruffing out and
my 10 would be set up, which helped me later to
extract West's second small trump.

South

2
3
4
6

West

pass
pass
pass
all pass

North
1
3
4
5
 

East
pass
pass
pass
pass
 

 


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