Calling the Twenty: Puzzle M3

CTT-M3 Puzzle

You are the Declarer in a Solo, planning a silent Pagat Ultimo. It is trick 8 of 10. You hold: I, XXI, and Kdiamonds. Taroks still unaccounted for at the table: the XVII and the XIII.

What do you lead?

Reveal answer

Answer

The XXI. Lead the XXI to pull the enemy Taroks now: whatever falls, two tricks from the end you have shortened the list of cards that could beat your Pagat at trick 10. Keeping the I home while the big ones clear the road is the whole art of the silent Ultimo. (Lead the Kdiamonds instead and the XVII may simply trump it and lead Taroks back: your Pagat dies young.)