Dummy play is easy when all the required tricks are visible or easy to make after establishing the extra tricks needed. But at times the waters are not too clear to pick the winning line. This is the time when declarer has to put up his thinking cap and look for all possible avenues and plugging the loopholes pick the inferential clues from the bidding and opening lead to make the right judgment in the handling of the suits. Good declarer don't panic easily even when the chips are down for they have the resilience to fight to the last in the making of their contract. Let us learn by example.
North south reaches a little slam in clubs on the following hand:
When south opened 1C and north responded 1H, south reversed in 2D to show shape and strength. This was not enough as yet for north to dump to 6C as he did. A proper bid would have been to bid either the 4th suit or jump in clubs. Anyway the bidding may have been a bit curt and short, not too scientific and accurate. But nevertheless the contract looks good and reasonable.
One look at the dummy placing you in the south seat to make this little slam, reveals that if clubs break even there are innumerable tricks galore with 5 clubs in hand, 3 in diamonds, 2 in hearts, 2 in spades and a ruff in dummy or even a reverse dummy can yield all the tricks with ruffs in hand of spades and hearts.
As south how do you proceed on the opening lead of the 10H? Winning the heart lead in dummy, when south plays a club, the shockingly unkind distribution of trumps comes to light when east shows out. This is a massive blow with west holding Q J 9 5 of trumps over declarer's A K 8 6 4. He surely can have 2 trump tricks perched over the declarer making 6C contract a bit dubious.
But still the chances though slam for making 6C need to be taken with a fighting sprit and resilience not giving up that easily. So how do you continue? Of course you know by now that the only chance left is to strip west of all suits but trumps and to throw him in with a trump to end play him in with a yielding the 12th trick to the declarer.
As such did you cross to the KH and ruffed a heart? If so you are on the right path. What next? Yes, continue with the KS and AS and a spade ruff. Three rounds of diamonds follow and to your good luck west follows to all three. West east hands were as under:-
New the stage was well set for the coup de grace. Are you on it? Yes, just play the 4th diamond and west is kaput! If he ruff low, dummy queen was if he ruffs high, he is end played forced to lead away from his trump Honor holding Q/J of clubs plus the 9 of clubs. As such south has the remaining tricks and the seemingly improbable little slam of 6C comes rollickingly home. This is a classic example of how a declarer with concentration, attention forethought with a positive outlook and great resilience can pull off to make the most difficult contracts in Bridge. The lesson to learn is that when the odds are all against you just don't panic.
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North
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A 9 6
A K 6 3
K 8
10 7 3 2
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South
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K 5
7 5
A Q 6 3
A K 8 6 4
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West
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Q 10 2
10 9 8
J 7 2
Q J 9 5
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East
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J 8 7 43
Q J 4 2
10 9 5 4
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