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Benefit from A Lucky Escape.

On a different day, we would discuss the merits of your 5H bid below but on this one, our central question is around your defence. Your mission may have been accomplished in that you have pushed your opponents one level higher than they perhaps wanted to go. Partner has led your suit and you have won the first trick.

 

 

North must have bid 5 to make. Otherwise, they would surely have defended 5. Their action seems a little suspect as their partner only pre-empted. However, that’s all speculation. West had led 9 and your A took trick 1 with South playing 3

It is Pairs and it is your lead to trick 2?

A number of defenders continued with a second heart and did or should have paid the price for doing so. As this was a Pairs event, the defence was just as relevant to those defending 4.

While it is a dangerous exercise at times in trusting the opposition’s bidding, those defending 5 who continued a second heart certainly and those defending 4 probably did not consider the implication of the bidding at most tables. South had shown 7 spades and North had a menacing-looking diamond suit on the dummy. If West had only one heart, that gave South 4 hearts. How well brought up is South? That is not a fair question to ask North (maybe “do you ever pre-empt with a reasonable 4-card major on the side?” is a kinder question!).

Yet, chances are that your partner has a doubleton heart. So, what about the club suit? Against 5, there is no question that you should lay down A. If West has K, they will encourage. If they want a heart ruff, they will discourage even if they hold K.

Against 4, it is a little harder as the defence may need to take 3 club tricks quickly, in which case you must switch to a low club.

Few defenders switched to A at trick 2 but few declarers took advantage of the heart continuation:

 

 Several declarers received 9 lead to the ace and a high heart continuation. Yet, at several tables, the declarer played a couple of rounds of trumps to be followed by three top diamonds, discarding a heart and a club.

Therefore, they lost a trump, A and a club, not a catastrophe if you were in 4 but terminal if you were a level higher. Among the few declarers who found the right line were Blair Fisher and Jeff Miller, both of whom were playing 4. At trick 3, play a trump to dummy to be followed by 3 rounds of diamonds, discarding not a heart but K9.

Then ruff a club and ruff South’s small heart with K. Ruff another club low and play J. They will soon regain the lead to draw West’s remaining trumps to score 11 tricks. That play would not have worked against Fuxia Wen, Douglas Russell and Andrew Liu, all of whom found A at trick 2.

Pity East

East has a big problem after North raises their partner’s pre-empt to 4. Especially at favourable vulnerability, North could have very few values, meaning East-West could on some days make heaps of tricks in hearts. Yet, if East passes 4, it may be impossible for West to re-open.

Some of those East players who bid 5 survived when North “rescued” them to 5. Although North may be very weak, I still feel South could double 5 which would surely end the bidding this time. North could still pull the double to 5 with no defence though it would save the several North players who did bid on from making the wrong decision.

A few East players did regret their 5 bid with generally North doubling. A spade lead leaves East in a very poor position especially if they try A then Q. The defence would then take 3 diamonds, a diamond ruff, K and maybe even 2 club tricks. That’s – 1400 though a more careful play of the trump suit would still cost -1100. All those who doubled 5 achieved a bigger score than they would have achieved from making their non-vulnerable game. Who said pre-empts do not work! 

East’s difficult decision was emphasised by the fact that the likes of Michael Cornell and Malcolm Mayer chose to double 4, essentially take-out though their partners had nowhere to run and both conceded a making game.

Make them pay!

Perhaps, East’s decision is even harder in Teams where the penalty for going to the 5-level is even more extreme. It would have been interesting to see the North players redouble 4. The reward for doing so would surely have been a complete top whether Michael and Malcolm shot out the spade game or moved on to an equally unpleasant outcome at the 5-level.

Richard Solomon

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