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A little lie and a lucky lie!

Unfortunately, neither lie favoured West on today’s deal. Sometimes the luck goes your way: sometimes not. That’s certainly true at the bridge table. Firstly, though, to the opening lead. What is your choice?

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West Deals
Both Vul

   

8 6 3 2

J 2

K 10 8 7

K 10 6

 

N

W

 

E

S

   

 

West

North

East

South

Pass

Pass

Pass

2 NT

Pass

3 ♣

Pass

3 

Pass

4 

All pass

 

2NT was 20-22 balanced and 3Club-small Stayman. The answer must have pleased North who raised 3Heart-small to game. So, what is your choice?

With a strong, very strong, balanced hand on your right, it does not pay, when in doubt, to be too aggressive, indeed not to be aggressive at all. That should, this time, eliminate a minor lead, too likely to give away a trick. My choice would be Spade-small6, 2nd highest of 4 small cards. Hopefully, that would not give away a trick.

Let’s take a peek at all four hands and see the “little lie” that South had told:

West Deals
Both Vul

J 10 9 5 4

10 7 6 5

Q 5 4

2

8 6 3 2

J 2

K 10 8 7

K 10 6

 

N

W

 

E

S

 

K Q 7

Q 8 4

9 2

J 9 8 5 3

 

A

A K 9 3

A J 6 3

A Q 7 4

 

West

North

East

South

Pass

Pass

Pass

2 NT

Pass

3 ♣

Pass

3 

Pass

4 

All pass

 

Firstly South, then North, had problems in the bidding. With 22 hcp, South had an excellent hand but perhaps not quite enough for a game force 2Club-small opening. They were certainly too strong to open at the 1 level. So, to the little lie of showing a balanced 20-22. Well, they had honours in all 4 suits!

North could have passed 2NT though there were good chances of finding a fit in one major. There are different ways to explore for a fit with 5 spades and 4 hearts after partner opens 2NT. Our North chose simple Stayman and was duly rewarded when South bid 3Heart-small.

Now, we can see that, at trick 1, there is no gain in declarer playing a high spade from dummy…or is there? No-one told East that South had only spade when they opened their “balanced hand”. East would play Spade-smallQ to ensure one trick in the suit, or so they thought, with Spade-smallA winning. South could not be sure how many spades East held.

With the above North- South hands, South would normally try to ruff clubs in dummy. However, the opening lead offers the spade suit as a possible source of tricks. So, at trick 2, South leads a small diamond from hand, hoping West holds Diamond-smallK. They do and win the trick, and now not wanting to continue spades, West exits a diamond to Diamond-smallQ in dummy.

So, after playing Spade-smallJ at trick 1, next they play Spade-small1O. There is no winning play for East who almost certainly will try to win the trick with Spade-smallK. Not today! South ruffs and can now play Heart-smallAK before Diamond-smallAJ. There is no gain for East in ruffing either card with their high Heart-smallQ. So, declarer should only lose a trump and Diamond-smallK, 11 tricks.  

As it happens, an initial diamond lead is safe for the defence but a club is not. Even Heart-smallJ runs the risk of the defence losing their trump trick.

With Club-smallK falling in 3 rounds if South ruffs that suit, and Spade-smallKQ being very well placed for South, 4 should always make: the “favourable lie” for South.

The board is interesting for South’s choice of opening bids and in how the partnership advance to 4Heart-small. It also shows that you can sometimes tell a little lie in the bidding and take advantage of that in the play. Otherwise, an inspired East could play low if declarer had called for a low spade from dummy. In reality, Spade-smallKQ7 will never produce a trick for the defence but forcing out a high honour at trick 1 makes declarer’s task just a little easier on a potentially difficult board to play.

blushing.jpg  

2 good lies make one making game! When you “lie a little”, don’t blush!

Richard Solomon

 

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