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Weaker but Better!

Today’s deal also comes from the recent Trans- Tasman Challenge. It provided a challenge for both some declarers and all of the defenders in the West seat. That is the seat from which you will see the deal initially:

 

1NT is 15-17 and 2 simple Stayman. You, West, lead J and the first trick goes 2, Q from East and A from declarer. South plays 2  to the Q in dummy with East winning K. They play 7  at trick 3 to South’s 6 and your A. Your play to trick 4 is?

At some tables, West continued with 5 and declarer soon wrapped up 10 tricks:

 

   If East did not ruff, 6 would win the trick and the contract would make for the loss of 2 trumps and A. Where the East players did ruff, that was with their natural second trump trick and once more, the declarers had 10 tricks with either minor providing a discard for the remaining spade loser.

There were varying reasons for West not playing the low spade at trick 4. Had East held KQ, they would surely have played K before exiting with a club. Yet, West knew that East did not hold K, by simply adding high card points. South had a minimum 15 while dummy had 14. Add West’s 5 hcp to the Q and K which East had shown and East could not hold K. If, they held a second spade, a small spade, they would likely have played that, too, before the club exit. West knew that Q was a singleton and that South was 4-4 in the majors, suggesting the probability of a spade discard in one of the minor suits.

Thus, if West wanted to play a second spade, it should be 10  which surely guarantees 9…but since West knew much about South’s shape, their best return at trick 4 was a club.

Prevailing over good defence

A few West players did indeed find that club return but two declarers showed that this contract could still be made with careful declarer play. Over then to Vivien Cornell who as South received J lead and took the losing heart finesse. Back came a club and West, Matt Mullamphy, exited 10. East, Ian Thomson, discarded 4, leaving Vivien with 2 trump losers, A and an apparent spade loser. Not so!

She drew a second round of trumps and then played 3 rounds of diamonds, discarding a spade from hand. These cards remained:

Two rounds of clubs followed with a spade being discarded from dummy. East then did not appreciate Vivien’s trump exit. The enforced club provided a ruff in dummy and spade discard from her own South hand…and the contract had been made. That was nicely played but alas for no imps in as the other declarer to make the contract by a similar line was David Beauchamp at the other table. 

Well played by both declarers. Some other declarers made 4 thanks to wrong defence by West at trick 4. Three Souths found their way to 4 where there five inescapable losers. Fortunately for most South players, they got to call their significantly weaker major first. That gave them a chance to shine if the defence did not help them.

Richard Solomon

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