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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

may be easier!

Easier than Declaring?

If only we knew when that would be. When the opposition have bid aggressively and quickly to the 5-level, there is little time to decide. It’s Pairs and neither side is vulnerable.

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East Deals
None Vul

K 9 7

9 3

K 10 9 6 5 4

A 7

   

N

W

 

E

S

   
 

A Q 10 8 4 3

A Q 8 2

7 2

6

 

West

North

East

South

 

 

3 ♣

3 ♠

5 ♣

Dbl

Pass

5 

Pass

5 ♠

All pass

 

Maybe South should have stood their partner’s values double of 5Club-small but they were conscious of missing a major suit game. So, they bid on ending in 5Spade-small. West led Club-small10 and you won trick 1 in dummy. What’s your plan for 11 tricks, maybe more?

This deal caught out a number of declarers who failed to make 11 tricks. There are problems in both red suits. At some tables, South won the opening lead and took an immediate heart finesse. This lost with West continuing Club-smallK ruffed by South. They cashed Heart-smallA and tried to ruff a heart with Spade-small7 in dummy though East was unkind enough to overruff with Spade-smallJ. Diamond-smallA was an inevitable third loser with the final contract being one down.

This was an especially poor result when 5Club-smallx was destined to be down 3, -500 as these were the four hands:

East Deals
None Vul

K 9 7

9 3

K 10 9 6 5 4

A 7

6 5

K J 10 7 4

A Q 3

Q 10 9

 

N

W

 

E

S

 

J 2

6 5

J 8

K J 8 5 4 3 2

 

A Q 10 8 4 3

A Q 8 2

7 2

6

 

West

North

East

South

 

 

3 ♣

3 ♠

5 ♣

Dbl

Pass

5 

Pass

5 ♠

All pass

 

There were two spade losers and one loser in each other suit for East had 5Club-smallx been the final contract. The spade break seemed to make the difference between -300 or -500 though with North-South not vulnerable, there was more case for South trying for down 3 rather than going for 11 tricks.

However, was trying to ruff hearts a great idea? Since two hearts had to be ruffed, the contract would be in danger whenever the heart finesse failed and East held Spade-smallJ. Their pre-empt marked East with less than four hearts. The heart finesse was likely to fail.

It seems that the location of the Diamond-smallA was even more important than that of the Heart-smallK. Were East to hold it, the chances of East holding Heart-smallK were slim….and East could switch to a heart were they to win with Diamond-smallA.

So, it would seem better to play a trump to hand at trick 2 and play a low diamond. Even if West ducks, they will win the diamond return with their Diamond-smallQ (Would West really insert Diamond-smallQ on the first round of the suit?). They cannot attack hearts and declarer can ruff the club return, play a spade to the king and ruff out the Diamond-smallA, taking advantage of the favourable trump break.

Indeed, with trumps breaking 2-2, there are 12 tricks for South. Had the break been 3-1, South would have to try the heart finesse when in dummy with Spade-smallK as there would be no entry back to the established diamonds.

So, there are routes to 12, 11 or 10 tricks. Our South was unlucky both that East had only two hearts and held the Spade-smallJ. Had East not been able to overruff, then declarer could have played a trump to hand but then they had to play a diamond rather than ruff the remaining heart, or else they would have lost 2 diamond tricks wherever Diamond-smallA was placed. So, if diamonds had to be played, play them early..and take advantage when the lie is favourable.

Even though against 5Club-smallx, South has to switch to a diamond before East can play a heart from hand, it was an easier deal for South to defend than to declare.

Richard Solomon

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