2006 Shen Hua Declarer Play Award

arallel Winner 1: Dong Yong Ling
From: Women Round Robin of National Championship, 27th March

	♠ K 4 3 ♥ K Q ♦ K 6 5 2 ♣ A K 10 8
	♠ Q 9 8 6 5 ♥ 9 6 4 2 ♦ A 4 ♣ Q 5

How would you play Four Spades on the lead of the club seven? One heart loser can go on one of dummy’s club honours. You can afford to lose two trump tricks. Do you choose to ruff a heart then draw trumps?

Dong Yong Ling, a long-time player on the Beijing Women’s Team, won the club ace in dummy and played the heart king. West ducked this trick, although if she’d taken her ace at once and played another heart, declarer would have faced a difficult guess.

Dong continued with the heart queen, taking note of the appearance of the ten from East. West won the heart ace and exited with the eight. Dummy ruffed and East’s jack dropped, establishing the nine in declarer’s hand.

Dong decided to cross to hand with the ace of diamonds before leading trumps, to test whether West held a singleton ace. The spade king won the trick and East’s jack forced Dong to think for a long time. She finally pulled the diamond king and ruffed a diamond back to hand, East following with the jack. If there had been no falsecard from East, West’s red-suit holdings should be 4-4. Because West didn’t continue with another club after winning the heart ace, it was probable she held a singleton there.

Dong now carefully played the heart nine, ruffing in dummy with the four of spades. She safely ruffed a diamond back to hand and threw out the club queen to wait for the tenth trick with the queen-nine of trumps.

This was the full deal:

	♠ K 4 3 ♥ K Q ♦ K 6 5 2 ♣ A K 10 8
♠ A 10 7 2 ♥ A 8 7 5 ♦ Q 10 8 7 ♣ 7		♠ J ♥ J 10 3 ♦ J 9 3 ♣ J 9 6 4 3 2
	♠ Q 9 8 6 5 ♥ 9 6 4 2 ♦ A 4 ♣ Q 5

Dong’s play avoided the potential danger successfully. After six tricks this was the position:

	♠ 4 ♥ – ♦ K 6 5 ♣ K 10 8
♠ A 10 7 ♥ 7 ♦ Q 10 8 ♣ –		♠ – ♥ – ♦ J 9 ♣ J 9 6 4 3
	♠ Q 9 8 6 ♥ 9 ♦ 4 ♣ Q

Deep Finesse pointed out that there was just one card that could lead the contract home at each of the next tricks. At the table, Dong Yong Ling selected the only correct card at each trick.