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But start well, too!

Start well: end well.

Like our declarer when today’s board was played, you would not want to be recording a minus score, would you? Chances of success went from moderate to poor but you could still emerge with 9 tricks if…..

 

 

 

Life may well have been a lot easier had North, with their diamond hold, called 2NT rather than made a negative style double after East’s intervention. Then, a diamond lead from East would have given declarer 2 diamond tricks. However, North felt they needed a double hold in that suit to make 3NT playable and when 6 was led from West, it looked like East held AJTxx or perhaps a 6-card suit. So, plan the play.

Alas, our declarer started on the wrong foot and never recovered. They played low from dummy at trick 1 with East inserting 10 and when they subsequently lost the lead to West, the defence took 4 diamond and a club trick to beat the contract. These were the four hands:

 

 

The 2 overcall marked East with at least 5 diamonds and if it was just five, there was the big danger of West playing a second diamond through dummy’s K unless that card had been played at trick 1.

It is not as though that would create a second diamond trick for South unless East was kind enough to play low on that card which they surely would not. East will have to win trick 1 with the ace and then play J to ensure the declarer only made one trick in the suit but in doing so, it takes away West’s diamond entry to their partner’s hand. That is part 1 of an awkward few tricks for South.

Winning trick 2 with Q in hand, (there is no need to duck as East surely has a 5-card suit), South needs to get to dummy to take what they hope will be a successful club finesse. The only safe way there is in spades, a spade to the ace. Had the club finesse worked, South would have needed either a successful spade finesse or a good heart guess (and that means to keep East off lead) to make 9 tricks. When the club finesse failed, they needed both.

Indeed, best defence would see West refuse the K at the first opportunity. South might well need to lay down A hoping the king appears. It did not appear but South was “still alive” with West holding the K.

The initial spade to the ace may well suggest to West where K was. Therefore, wanting to get to East’s hand for cashing diamond tricks, their best chance seems to be to underlead A. East surely had more than AJTxx and perhaps Q for a 2-level vulnerable overcall.

So, West plays 3 when in with K and the spotlight falls again on South, well not really, since there is only one card South should contemplate playing from dummy, K. If East holds A, the contract will fail. So, place, pray that A is with West…and play K. (while playing J would be the winning play if West held both missing heart honours, South also must be aware that East needs to have some honours outside diamonds.)

4 club tricks, K, 2 spades and a diamond is not enough. Luckily, South is in dummy to play a low spade. Today, your previous good play is rewarded as the Q appears from East. You were going to finesse.

So, 9 tricks, 3 spades, K, one diamond and four club tricks, a reward for making the correct plays early in the play. So you do not enjoy playing no trump contracts? Many do not but it’s nice when you are successful. All would agree with that. 

Richard Solomon

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