Bridge is a game of great expectations as well as a game of the least expected results. A lot of funny things happen at the Bridge table where the human vulnerability adds spice to the game resulting in the most bizarre action whereby the tables get turned and what is not too visible emerges as a stark reality.
Although the game is bound within the distribution of 52 cards, the various techniques, gadgets, deceptions, along with brilliant inferences and sound judgement make it the most popular card game in the world whose development and progress is unmatched. Every passing day we witness new techniques and conventions coming into use to make the game more competitive and challenging.
One such challenge in table play comes in our illustration for today where the declarer is faced with the most challenging and arduous task of making 6S with the odds stacked heavily against him.
Like in every challenge that has been surmounted by rising to the occasion, our declarer in today's hand also rose most brilliantly to what the occasion demanded to bring about a spectacular result for himself in making the little slam, which on the face of it looked quite improbable to make if not impossible.
As said above it is how you well you read the distribution of the 52 cards that makes you a Bridge player of some standing. Those who are exceptional in it are ranked as experts with others languishing behind even if they are very good otherwise in the play of a Bridge hand. For the above average player, it is not too difficult to choose a line of play that has the highest odds of success. But at times he too gets bogged down in an apparent mental blockage that is termed in Bridge as a blind spot. It is in such circumstances that the expert makes his mark by a stroke of brilliance, which can assure his contract.
Let us take up the north south hands given below along with the bidding: The bidding has proceeded as under: The opening lead from west is 5C taken by declarer's AC. Place yourself in the south seat and try to work out how you can manage 12 tricks on the layout. On analysis, it is quite apparent that the whole problem lies with the declarer's 2 losers staring in hearts with the AK missing, which on the face of it looks quite insoluble.
Even on reverse dummy play, declarer's 6 hearts in hand are in no way shrinking to one even if the declarer manages to get the clubs going on a 4-3 favourable fit. You see if 2 hearts go on KQ of clubs with the third on the king of diamonds along with the fourth on the 5th club made good by ruffing the 4th club first, that still leaves the declarer's hand with 2 hearts losers - common with dummy's 2 heart losers and thus he is unable to execute 12 tricks. Well, when nothing seems to work, one should leave the solution in God's hand and hope for the best. Do you agree or have you a plan in mind to find a way of making 6S?
In 1973, such a problem arose in a tournament and the French declarer played the hand to perfection in making his little slam. This is how he viewed the problem. He reasoned that there were 2 vital references for him that were favourable. One was the inability of west to lead a heart with an obvious void as east had over called 1H. The second inference he deducted was that the one way his heart loser in hand could shrink to one, is by some sort of an end play on west who would obviously be long in diamonds.
So the declarer cashed the KS, QS and AS drawing trumps out, noticing west's singleton trump. He next cashed AK of diamonds dropping east's queen, followed by KQ of clubs discarding 3 hearts from hand. Now came the key play - when he played the next club to which east did not follow. Yes, now you got it. West was holding the 4th and last club with all diamonds left. End playing west by discarding the 4th heart, he got the ruff and sluff to bring home the little slam that looked seemingly impossible.

====================
North          South
====================
 A765         KQ1082
   84         QJ9752
   AK              4
KQ743              A
====================

=================================
W          N          E         S
=================================
-         1C         1H        1S
P         4S          P        6S
=================================