Last week I featured a declarer who persisted after a slam looked hopeless, and brought it home, and this week’s declarer shows a whole new level of skill to overcome a bad break in the club suit to land her slam – the play is dazzling!

See the hand in Figure 1.

What an amazing South hand to pick up! The bidding was simple – South opened two clubs (strong), North bid 2NT showing eight to ten points and when North supported spades, South drove on to the small slam.

By the way – if I am sitting East, I bid two diamonds over the two clubs – it takes some bidding away from North and is also a lead you would like if partner is on opening lead.

West led the nine of trumps. Declarer took this in hand with the Ace and then drew the outstanding trumps by cashing the King and Queen of the suit.

Declarer followed this by playing the Ace and King of clubs. All would have been well if the suit had been 3-2 or West had four clubs but, alas, the clubs were 1-4 with the Queen on his right.

Many declarers would give up at this point but this declarer was not one of them. After some amazing mental analysis, she saw that there was a chance if West began with the Jack of hearts and the Ace of diamonds – you will soon see how!

Declarer’s next move was to cash the Ace of hearts and continue by leading the three of hearts towards dummy. After West followed with a low heart declarer called for dummy’s ten of hearts! When declarer opened her eyes, she was relieved to see that the ten had won the trick.

This was now the position (see Figure 2).

Now, she played the King of diamonds from dummy and, after East followed low, she threw the King of hearts from her hand!

West took his Ace of diamonds and, with only red suit cards left, had to lead either a heart or a diamond. Either way, dummy’s red-suit Queens would take care of declarers two club losers. The slam had been brought home!

It’s hands like this that keep me awake at night, dreaming that I had made that play!

• David Ezekiel can be reached at davidezekiel999@gmail.com

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Friday, September 20

1. Charles Hall/Molly Taussig

2. Betsy Baillie/Delton Outerbridge

3. Richard Gray/Wendy Gray

Monday, September 23

North/South

1. Gertrude Barker/Jane Smith

2. Jack Rhind/Sheena Rayner

East/West

1. Charles Hall/Sancia Garrison

2. Patricia Siddle/Diana Diel

Tuesday, September 24

1. Catherine Kennedy/Jean Schilling

2. Joshimer Tadman/Julie Tadman

3= Benjamin Stone/Mark Stevens

3= Heidi Dyson/John Thorne

Wednesday, September 25

1. Charles Hall/Margaret Way

2. Sheena Rayner/Molly Taussig

3. Louise Rodger/Greta Marshall

Thursday, September 26

1. Miodrag Novakovic/Margaret Way

2. John Glynn/Rachael Gosling