| The Grand Exit
This is a nice instructional hand featuring technique, which is automatic for the seasoned player. The Elimination Play, often called the Grand Exit, is a good weapon to have in your repertoire. It is executed by the player who holds the protected Spade Queen and a safe escape or "out" card in a side suit.
The plan is to protect the exit card or cards at all costs (even if it requires taking some Hearts). The idea is to rid the hand of all potential "throw-in" (forced entry) cards before exiting permanently with the "out" card that rids the hand of the lead forever. Here is a simple, but instructional example from the 1977 New England Championships. Steve Rubin (the inventor of "Rubin's Maneuver") was on his game!
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| South examined his hand, and knew immediately that the Heart Deuce was the key card. Fortunately, he was blessed with a very well guarded Spade Queen. But there was a lot of work to be done here.
West opened with the required Club Deuce lead, which drew the Ten, Ace, and a very correct Eight (by South). East now made the rather obvious shift to his dry Spade, and South played low, allowing West to win the Ten (North dumped the Seven.) The Spade Nine followed, fetching the Three, and the discard of the Nine of Hearts from East, as the Ace won. Momentarily, South let the Spades dangle, and played the Queen of Diamonds. West ditched his Jack, and North threw in the King. (East tossed the Five.) North led his last Spade, and South was a winner with his King, as East threw the Heart Queen.
South, now in full control, cashed the Jack of Spades, drawing West's last spot, North's Heart Six, and East's last Heart. Next, he grabbed the top Clubs, as West tossed his highest Diamond. Now, the Diamond Ace was cashed, drawing highest Diamonds from each opponent. Finally, he played the King of Hearts and sat back. If this won, the continuation of the Eight of Hearts was next, and even if this card snagged a few more stray points, the Deuce was sure passage to Paradise! It was time to relax, and hope that the low player would be the recipient of the Queen of Spades! South thus saved at least 13 points by using the Grand Exit strategy.
One of the kibitzers brought up an interesting point after the hand was over. Rubin was asked how he would have refuted North's counterplay of the Ace of Hearts (after he won the Diamond King.) This was the alternate line to North's lead of his last Spade. Did you spot the sneaky trap here? Steve said if this play had been made, he would have dumped the EIGHT of Hearts under the Ace, saving the King for the next Heart lead. Then he cashes his Club winners, grabs the Diamond Ace, extracts West's Spades, takes the Heart King, and finally escapes with the Deuce. (Dropping the King of Hearts under the Ace would have been a fatal error, as North would continue with the Ten and Three of Hearts -- and then led a Spade or low Club -- burying South alive! Steve, an original Hearts Life Master, was just too quick to allow that to happen.
It is quite amazing how much analysis can be found in a seemingly simple hand! | |
