Discovery Play

A play made to determine the location of high cards, or distributional information about the opponents hands:

                J842                   W     N     E     S

                8                                         3     P

                A43                     P      X     P     4

                KJ985                 5    P     P     5

                                                      (all pass)

KT                          Q9

K                            AQ97643

KQJ98652            T7

T6                          Q2

                A7653

                JT52

                ----

                A743

North's failure to double 5 is a mystery.  West leads the King, East overtakes and switches to the 10, South ruffing.  The Ace then 3 goes to the King.   West plays the King, dummy's Ace winning.  Now how to play the clubs?

Before touching clubs, South makes the Discovery Play of a diamond ruff and a heart ruff.  When West shows out in Hearts, and East in Diamonds the distribution is known.

Note that East had the right idea at trick 1 - another heart at trick 2 defeats the contract.

Compiled by Lorne Russell 2005