Stepping Stone of Thunder

This hand is from the recent European Open Championship pairs championship. The hand needs to be viewed as a 3NT hand by West (sorry about that but the table closed down while I was still analysing it.) The play potentially involves two spectacular plays:

1. Days of Thunder: coined by Eric Rodwell it involves switching to an opponents long suit to hamper communications
2. Stepping-Stone Squeze: first analysed by Terence Reese in his classic "The Expert Game" and involves overcoming a blockage by throwing in a n opponent

North opens diamonds and West has a pretty obvious duck after the A and J - fair play to south if this is from AKJ. Now we see play one. If South can imagine a club blockage then switching to a spade creates a blockage in that suit.

This is not the end of the story if West can put South with 4+ clubs with the AH. He runs six spades and has now played 8 tricks. South must come down to either 4 clubs and the AH or 3 clubs and AQ hearts. In the latter scenario the clubs will run but in the former West can unblock the clubs and exit in hearts - thus using South as a stepping stone to the clubs.

Expert Shortcake

The shortshake is a play named by Eric Rodwell in the 'The Rodwell Files' and both these examples come from 'The Expert Game' by Terence Reese.

On the first hand South plays in 6♣ after East has made a pre-emptive overcall in spades - probably no Michael's* in those days. West leads the A♠ and continues with a spade. South discarded a diamond and East showed out on the Q&clubs. South turned to diamonds, playing the AK and ruffing the third round. Now they tried to get back to hand by playing A♥ and ruffing - but West over-ruffed.

To avoid this, at trick two, South must discard a low heart on the K♠.

* I am going with the apostrophe against the spelling from all the resources - et tu Wikipedia?

More Shortshake, LOL

Another play named by Eric Rodwell in the 'The Rodwell Files' and the example is from the books of Terence Reese.

West leads the Q♦. You play low to presere the K♦ as an entry (and in case East is void). East follows to the diamond but discards on the first round of trumps. You have 11 top tricks but the bad trump break means you will need to develop a trick in either spades or diamonds.

More Shortshake

The shortshake is a play named by Eric Rodwell in the 'The Rodwell Files' and the example from the books of Terence Reese.

West leads the J♠. One trick must be loss to the A♣ and possibly one to the K♦. It looks as though only a ruff threatens the contract. How would you play?

Shortshake

Another play named by Eric Rodwell in the 'The Rodwell Files'. The play involves the discard of a non-loser to enable an earlier ruff in the discarded suit. I have located a few more ex libris Terence Reese. I will do one hand per post.

In 4♥ you receive the T♦ lead. If this is a singleton you are probably dead in the water. Can you do anything if it is a doubleton?