Declare or Defend?

Subject: Double Dummy Problem
Event: Bracket 1 KOs, Madison Sectional, December 11, 1999

Board: 18 Dealer: East Vul: N-S	A x x  A Q 8 6 4  K Q  A J x
Q 10 x x  K 10 5 2  x x  K x x		J x  9  A J x x x x  x x x x
	K x x x  J 7 3  10 x x  Q x x

The Auction

WEST	NORTH	EAST	SOUTH
		P	P
P	1	P	2
P	4	All Pass

The actual play. Ace of diamonds and continuation. Ace of hearts, then low heart to Jack and King. Low spade to King, and the 7 of hearts, ducked by West (whoops). Low club to Jack, play off 2 remaining trumps, Ace of spades (Queen is unblocked), and spade to 10 for successful endplay. If the heart 7 had been covered, North would be an entry short.

But, North believes that the hand can be made double-dummy, with the same lead, (although he does not claim that he would have ever found the line of play at the table).

North did not provide a solution either. So, either find the winning line of play or show that the defense can always prevail.