0011 - Aunt Mary's 7♥

Goulash (bridge) #001 – In the bridge world deals like this are often called Goulash bridge where the suits are more unevenly distributed among the players, creating wild deals.

Polly Thomason from Okatie Creek DBC gave me this deal from her neighbor's Aunt Mary ... the challenge is making 7 ♥.  East's hand was not disclosed.

With the opening lead of the ♣ K, how should this deal be played to make 7 ♥?

When analyzing the play of this deal it is soooooo tempting to consider a strategy that includes leading a diamond. But, North has a void in clubs and South has a void in spades, and thus, it is not unreasonable to assume that one opponent will be void in hearts and the other will be void in diamonds and holding 4-hearts.  Yuk! 

With a solid diamond suit ♦ QJ10987 North's hand looks pretty good if we can eliminate the ♦ AK in South's hand. The ♦ K can go on the ♠ A, but where will the ♦ A go? When declarer needs to create an open position in dummy to get rid of a card from declarer's hand, the technique is to play the hand as a dummy reversal – treating dummy as the master hand, and thus, ruffing (shortening trump) in declarer's hand.

The opening lead of the ♣ K gives South an entry so here are the first 6-tricks.

T1: ♣ A in hand pitch the ♦ 7 (not a spade) from dummy
T2: ♥ 6 (transportation) to the ♥ A in dummy
T3: ♠ A from dummy and pitch the ♦ K
T4: ♠ 6 from dummy, ruff in hand with the ♥ 7
T5: ♥ 8 (transportation) to the ♥ K in dummy
T6: ♠ Q from dummy, ruff in hand with the ♥ 9

So after 6-tricks here is the position ...

By ruffing 2-spades in hand, South has shortened trump (hearts) to one trump, the ♥ 10, with dummy holding two trumps, the ♥ QJ. South can lead the ♥ 10 to the dummy playing the final two rounds of hearts (pulling West's last two hearts) and pitch the ♦ A on the last trump trick and North's diamonds are now all good, making 7 ♥.

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