The Schnapsen Log

Make a Wish (solution)

Martin Tompa

What is the first thing to consider when you are following to the last trick before the stock is exhausted? Right, you should first consider what happens if you duck. We will see two distinct reasons. The first is that you know exactly what the two hands will be one trick later, since you know that you will draw the face-up trump on the table. Your best discard is probably ♦Q, since that will deny Tibor the possibility of cashing his ♦A. This will be the position after you each draw from the stock, with Tibor still on lead:

Tibor: (35 points)
♠ A
♥ T
♣ TK
♦ A

You: (11 points)
♠ TJ
♥ A
♣ QJ
♦ —

What will happen next? Even though you have more trumps than Tibor does, that won’t help you. Tibor can simply run his 3 winners ♠A and ♣TK, on which you will have to contribute ♠J and ♣QJ, giving him a total of 35 + 11 + 10 + 4 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 67 trick points. You cannot fare any better by discarding ♣J instead of ♦Q, since Tibor could then cash ♦A instead of ♣K. Either way you will lose 2 game points.

You cannot do any worse than this by winning trick 5 with your ♠T rather than ducking. This brings us to the second advantage of considering ducking first: often you will find, as we do on this deal, that you can safely win the trick, without even having to consider all the possible cards you might draw from the stock if you do so. Just win the trick, see what card you draw, and plan from there.

But, to give you a bonus challenge to think about, what card or cards would you hope to draw, if you could make a wish? When you have thought it through, you are welcome to continue reading.

© 2014 Martin Tompa. All rights reserved.

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