The Schnapsen Log

December 6, 2012

Setting Up the Endplay

Martin Tompa

I played a fascinating deal against Doktor Schnaps just a few days ago that I thought you might enjoy working out. This one had a type of endgame that I’d never encountered before.

Doktor Schnaps: (19 points)
♠ AJ
♥ —
♣ J
♦ AQ

You: (26 points)
♠ K
♥ A
♣ AT
♦ T

Trump: ♣
Stock: Exhausted
Game points: Doktor Schnaps 4, You 3
On lead: You

There are only five cards left in each hand, so how difficult can it be to find the winning play? The answer in this case, I think, is that it’s not that easy. But if you figure it out, I think you’ll find it very satisfying. Once you’ve made your plan, you are welcome to read my analysis.

© 2012 Martin Tompa. All rights reserved.

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About the Author

Martin Tompa (tompa@psellos.com)

I am a Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, where I teach discrete mathematics, probability and statistics, design and analysis of algorithms, and other related courses. I have always loved playing games. Games are great tools for learning to think logically and are a wonderful component of happy family or social life.