When opponents freely bid a Grand Slam without opponents intervening bids, they are pretty confident that the Grand Slam is solidly sacrosanct and almost unbeatable. But as with this fascinating game's innumerable combinations of cards, any slam could have a hole if the distribution turns out to be bizarre and completely against the normal odds.
Let us first see how north south bid. First let me place you in the west position to defend the grand and also to make the opening lead on the following holding. The JD is a temping lead relatively safe, for the dummy has promised a 6 carder diamond which leaves partner and declarer with either a singleton each or a void with anyone. If with partner GS goes down immediately on the brilliance of the opening lead. Otherwise it costs nothing much to the defense. As it turns out the declarer holds a singleton. Now declarer reels off 6 trumps in succession. On the third round partner threw a low club.
As west you begin your defense strategy by counting. The 6 remaining cards left after trumps would have to be kept by west. Which ones should he retain and what should be his sequence of discards on the 3 remaining surplus trumps? Naturally the declarer had all the aces which meant declarer had 6 trumps plus 2 black aces and the AKQ of diamond totaling 11 top tricks. If he has the KC, he can add 2 more club tricks to make it 13 for a cold unbeatable GS.
So how do you proceed on this count of declarer's hand. Assuming partner holds KC, what should be your defense strategy? Obviously the JC attains an importance to protect KC sandwiched between the dummy and the declarer. Equally important is perhaps the JS and the 10D is vital to be retained with 2 more diamonds. 3 diamond +2 clubs would leave west with doubleton JS.
Let us now view the declarer's hand which held the following last 6 cards after trumps drawn. Let us now revert to east who originally held. East had to keep the 6 cards too after trumps. The 9D was vital to protect partner's marked 10D from finesse if west held only 4 diamonds. So east could let go 3 clubs but not 4 as declarer could hold AJX. This meant, of course that east would be down to 2 spades. The QS did not matter much to east if declarer had the AKJ poised over it. Moreover if west held JS, east was free to let go the spade guard. The declarer had his spades cleared, now that both defenders could not protect their lower honours.
The defense was in agony at their discards in the post mortem. "Why did you not throw a diamond earlier to give me a count of the suit", cried east, "I could have discarded my 9D then and kept the third spade". West was equally adamant. "How the hell would any declarer leave the dummy cut off before cashing his diamond winners unless he has a doubleton diamond".
The declarer played on deception for he had 12 top tricks and knew from the lead of the JD that he could never find the 13th trick on his own unless the defenders cooperated on deception. To deceive them in thinking declarer must have 2 diamonds in hand to leave the dummy otherwise entry less before cashing the remaining diamond winners, he was quite confident that both defenders with club honours divided would be retaining doubleton clubs each as well as doubleton diamonds which would squeeze them to hold no more than 2 spades. Moreover, declarer's master stroke in discarding 9S from dummy on the third heart, 7 spades on the 5th heart and the 6D on the last heart was full of deception to earn him the Grand Slam.
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S W N E
- - 1D P
2H P 3D P
4NT P 5H P
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7H ALL PASS
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West The dummy holds
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J5 97x
532 xx
J10754 AKQ86
J54 Q83
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AK432 Q108
- 76
- 93
A K108632
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