Can you survive the Dentist? by Barnet Shenkin prev/next

Your hand is A Q 9 4
A 7 5
10 7
A 10 8 5
. You hear 1 on your right, you bid 1 X ,partner bids 3 , 4 on your right all pass. You lead the 10 ,dummy hits with 5 3
J 6
K 9 6 5 3
K 7 6 3
.

Vul: All	N
W 5 3 J 6 K 9 6 5 3 K 7 6 3		E
	S A Q 9 4 A 7 5 10 7 A 10 8 4

West	North	East	South
		1	1
X	3	4	Pass
Pass	Pass

Declarer plays low from the dummy partner the 2 and wins the Q in hand. Now after some thought he plays the A and the 4 .Do you win the A ? Yes because he may have a singleton.How many diamonds has partner ? 3 he played the 2. How many clubs has partner ? 4 , He played the 9 so declarer is trying to reach dummy . What should you play now?

Should you play any card in your hand except the Q declarer can force out your Ace of trumps and make 5 heart and 5 diamond tricks. As long as partner holds the J you will establish his entry and declarer can’t stop him from giving you a D ruff.

Vul: All	N J 8 6 2 Q 2 J 8 2 Q J 9 2
W 5 3 J 6 K 9 6 5 3 K 7 6 3		E K 10 7 K 10 9 8 6 4 A Q 4 4
	S A Q 9 4 A 7 5 10 7 A 10 8 4

Declarer played well and executed what is called the dentist coup by extracting your last diamond. Did you survive the dentist?

IDEA : Try and understand what declarer is trying to achieve and then find a counter.