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10, 11, Even 12! Those overtricks do count!

Today, we feature one deal from the final round of the North Island Pairs which contributed to the amazing 71% finish from the winners, Douglas Russell and John Buckleton. Firstly, decide what card you would play from the North hand at trick 2 below in the contract of 4:

 

East leads 9 with 10 played from dummy, Q from West and A from North. What do you play at trick 2 and why?

Over to Douglas to describe the play…. and what potentially might have happened.

“The following hand was the 109th of the 111 played in the event, and came during a stretch where the wind was blowing gale force behind John and I. Of the 19 times the board was played, 6 declarers made 11 tricks in 4, 10 made 10 tricks (7 of them in 4), and 3 went one light in the game contract.

 

As South, I opened a marginally light Multi 2, on the basis of the favourable vulnerability, the good spade suit and side singleton. John made the standard enquiry of 2NT. 3 showed a minimum weak 2 in spades, and John became declarer in the final contract of 4.

 

East knew that North was the strong hand  and therefore made the neutral lead of a trump. In fact, double dummy analysis shows that there is only one lead to hold declarer to 10 tricks, and that is an impossible to find low club! However, there are many complex twists and turns along the way.

 

 

 

 

Because of the passive trump lead, won in the North hand, John reasoned correctly that East held most of the important cards, specifically the A and K. This deduction could have produced an amazing result. There was little point, therefore, in leading towards the diamond holding; he also needed his trumps for possible club ruffs, and so simply John played the K  from hand at trick 2. East won that, and switched to the A, followed by a second club, which John ruffed. Next came the key play of the remaining top diamonds to discard the losing hearts. Ruff a heart to dummy and then ruff the remaining club to hand. Had East withheld Q at trick 1, John would now have to ruff his last diamond rather than a heart to get to dummy to lay down K for 11 tricks. With Q played at trick 1, John could ruff either red suit with J to draw trumps and claim an 86% board.

 

However, what if East continues with a second trump after winning A in order to stop the second club ruff? Following John’s reasoning about the location of the K, there was not just the option of making 11 tricks but 12!

 

With no trumps left, a declarer can play a heart to the ace and then 2 high diamonds discarding both dummy’s hearts. Now A followed by Q brings down 10 and if and when East covers, the carefully preserved 7 provides the entry back to the North hand for declarer to discard all three clubs from dummy! Dreamland, perhaps.

 

So why does the initial improbable low club beat 11 tricks? Because West can win and return a heart to set up a trick in that suit while they still have control of diamonds.

 
   John and Douglas

 

John was not put to the test to make his overtrick but he had already made correct assumptions from the opening lead and forced West into making a guess at trick 3. It does look much harder to score more than 10 tricks had West returned a second trump at trick 2.”

 

One overtrick served John and Douglas well, well enough to come home on top with their storming finish.

This board showed the advantage of making the strong hand rather than the Weak 2 hand as declarer after such an auction. While every North player who was declarer made 10 or 11 tricks, South’s record was much less impressive. 7 South players were declarer in 4 with 3 making 9 tricks and recording minus scores, 3 making 10 and 1 11 tricks. 5 of these declarers received a heart and 2 a club lead.

Richard Solomon

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