Help
Heard this one at a recent tournament and I understand it comes from an Andrew Robson column:
You hold a singleton 7 of spades and a 30-count. With clues like these, you need not be Ellery Queen to deduce your other 12 cards, but you will need to be Ellery Queen to work out what to do in a few minutes. RHO opens 7♠ as dealer. Perhaps you double, perhaps not, but when you lead the A♦, it is ruffed and eleven more trumps follow from RHO. What do you keep?
Hint: Ellery would not only know what to keep, but exactly what declarer's 13th card is.
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You're on lead with a 30-count... How well can you think outside the box?
#1
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Posted 2011-February-11, 03:19
ACBL TD--got my start in 2002 directing games at BBO!
Please come back to the live game; I directed enough online during COVID for several lifetimes.
Bruce McIntyre,Yamaha WX5 Roland AE-10G AKAI EWI SOLO virtuoso-in-training
Please come back to the live game; I directed enough online during COVID for several lifetimes.
Bruce McIntyre,
#2
- mmm Duvel
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Posted 2011-February-11, 03:41
♦7. Declarer was down at trick 1, so he revoked to make the last trick with ♦7 and at least get a beer. After the -1 trick correction, he'll still be 1 down so the only difference is beer or no beer.
(thinking outside the box)
Perhaps another solution is that a new deck was shuffled in a certain way before it was dealt. In that case it could be possible to calculate which card it is. Dunno...
(thinking outside the box)
Perhaps another solution is that a new deck was shuffled in a certain way before it was dealt. In that case it could be possible to calculate which card it is. Dunno...
"It may be rude to leave to go to the bathroom, but it's downright stupid to sit there and piss yourself" - blackshoe
#3
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Posted 2011-February-11, 03:35
I would keep the ♣J. Declarer's last card is the ♣7.
Rik
Rik
I want my opponents to leave my table with a smile on their face and without matchpoints on their score card - in that order.
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!), but “That’s funny…” – Isaac Asimov
The only reason God did not put "Thou shalt mind thine own business" in the Ten Commandments was that He thought that it was too obvious to need stating. - Kenberg
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!), but “That’s funny…” – Isaac Asimov
The only reason God did not put "Thou shalt mind thine own business" in the Ten Commandments was that He thought that it was too obvious to need stating. - Kenberg
#4
- World International Master without a clue
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Posted 2011-February-11, 05:55
I would look at partner's discards
#5
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Posted 2011-February-11, 08:38
Hopefully partner will have played the T♣ to signal holding the 9 but I am ready to win declarer's 7♣ with my A
"Tell me of your home world, Usul"
the Freman, Chani from the move "Dune"
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."
George Bernard Shaw
the Freman, Chani from the move "Dune"
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."
George Bernard Shaw
#6
- Vesuvius the Violent Volcano
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Posted 2011-February-11, 10:55
I love Free's original solution. I'd watch partner's discards, from them, declarer's hand should be made clear. Partner should be able to figure out to pitch ALL their cards in both round suits.
Yay for the "Ignored Users" feature!
#7
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Posted 2011-February-11, 13:49
Declarer bid 7♠, so he probably thought he had 13 tricks. It looks quite likely that he has mistaken his ♣7 for a ♠7!
#8
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Posted 2011-February-11, 15:11
The obvious line "declarer has the ♣7 and need glasses" makes sense.
At the table though, good cooperation may suffice :
- I would discard AH, then AC, then JH, then JC, and after trick 11, keep just ♥K, ♣K. Before discarding at trick 11, pard knows my cards.
- Now (1) if he was missing one of the relevant Tens (♥♣), he just discards the whole suit and (2) otherwise he keeps both Tens.
All I have to do is to keep the King in which there are the less remaining cards left : it obviously works in case (1), and in case (2), partner will also know what to do.
At the table though, good cooperation may suffice :
- I would discard AH, then AC, then JH, then JC, and after trick 11, keep just ♥K, ♣K. Before discarding at trick 11, pard knows my cards.
- Now (1) if he was missing one of the relevant Tens (♥♣), he just discards the whole suit and (2) otherwise he keeps both Tens.
All I have to do is to keep the King in which there are the less remaining cards left : it obviously works in case (1), and in case (2), partner will also know what to do.
FD
#9
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Posted 2011-February-11, 15:14
BTW didn't mention it earlier but 7♠ was a good sacrifice 
"Tell me of your home world, Usul"
the Freman, Chani from the move "Dune"
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."
George Bernard Shaw
the Freman, Chani from the move "Dune"
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."
George Bernard Shaw
#10
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Posted 2011-February-11, 18:38
Most of you have it: the 7♣ looks like the 7♠ to our poor declarer. 
ACBL TD--got my start in 2002 directing games at BBO!
Please come back to the live game; I directed enough online during COVID for several lifetimes.
Bruce McIntyre,Yamaha WX5 Roland AE-10G AKAI EWI SOLO virtuoso-in-training
Please come back to the live game; I directed enough online during COVID for several lifetimes.
Bruce McIntyre,
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