Not A Senior Moment
By: Larry Cohen
This deal was played in the USA2 Final of the 2025 Senior Team Trials:
| Vul:Both Dlr: North |  KQ96 J863 A5 1096 | |
| | | |
| AJ10754 A95 1082 5 |
At both tables, East opened with 1NT (15-17) and South showed spades, ending in 4
. How would you play with the 
K lead?
Plans at suit contracts start by analyzing what tricks declarer will lose. Counting from the long-trump hand, there are 0 spade losers, 2 heart losers and 1 in each minor (one of declarer's diamonds can be trumped in dummy). What can be done to reduce that total from 4 to 3?
The key is the heart suit. Here is the Real Deal:
| Vul:Both Dlr: North | KQ96 J863 A5 1096 | |
| 8 1072 KQ974 7432 | 32 KQ4 J63 AKQJ8 | |
| AJ10754 A95 1082 5 |
Both Bobby Levin and Adam Wildavsky played identically (and skillfully). From the K lead they could place just about all the other missing HCP with East. As long as East didn't have the 
10, they were in business.
They gave up a diamond and a club (the defense could not touch hearts). Eventually, they drew trump and stripped the hand ending in South to leave the following position:
| Vul:Both Dlr: North | Q J863 -- -- | |
| -- 1072 Q9 -- | -- KQ4 -- A8 | |
| A7 A95 -- -- |
On the 5 play, West played low and dummy's 8 lost to East's Q. Now, East had to either play another heart (from the king) or issue a ruff-and-sluff. Plus 620 at both tables for a very high-level expert pushed board. No Senior Moments for these guys.