Declarer Challenge with the II Ultimo, trick 25 of 27. You are the Forehand, the Dealer is the Declarer, and you lead. The piles are used up, so you know the Declarer's last three cards.
P2Dealer, Declarer
3 cards
Your hand
Pad
- Still out: XVI, K♥, K♣ (the Declarer's last three cards).
Which card do you lead so that your II wins the second-to-last trick?
Answer
The XX. It draws the XVI, the Declarer’s last Tarok, and wins the trick, so you lead the II at trick 26 and nothing can beat it. Lead the II now and the XVI takes it. Lead the J
and the K takes it; then the Declarer leads the XVI at trick 26, and your II cannot win that trick.
and the K takes it; then the Declarer leads the XVI at trick 26, and your II cannot win that trick.Rule: II Ultimo: the II wins the second-to-last trick, for 1 Victory Point, scored silently and only in the Declarer Challenge. In an Ultimo, a low Tarok wins one fixed trick near the end of the hand, the way the Pagat wins the last trick in the Pagat Ultimo.