Imagination required

My favourite type of declarer-play strategy is imagination. The everyday affairs of figuring out the odds or ruffing losers or guessing a Queen can be satisfying, but using imagination is fun. For example, look at today's hand. After some competitive bidding, South landed in 4♥ and West led the deuce of diamonds. Before calling ♦8 in dummy, South exhibited a good declarer trait by planning his play. He called for the ♦8 and East played the ♦King, South played the ♦3. South counted eight sure tricks (six trumps, the ace of diamonds and one diamond ruff) plus one club trick, if guessed that suit right. He needed another trick for his contract, and only possibility he could see was the ♦J. Somehow he needed to score that card. So that's when he got the idea of making it look to West like East held the ♦Ace-King.

When East won the ♦K at trick one, he returned a trump. South won and ruffed the 6 of diamonds in dummy, then led a spade to ♠8, won by West with the ♠9. West didn't give it a second thought: He returned another diamond, thinking his partner has the ♦A. But declarer scooped up the trick with the ♦J, drew trumps and led a club to the ♣J to set up his 10th trick.

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