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“Well, you have to try something!”

A simple Stayman auction following a 15-17 1NT opening lands you in 3NT. It’s one of those deals when it looks like there could be some ways to make and some ways to go down. This was reflected by the fact that 10 declarers made their contract (one even with an overtrick) while 11 failed to make 9 tricks.

 

Including a third trick in diamonds, you can count 7 certain tricks (2 spades, A, 3 diamonds and A). There’s chances for extra tricks in both majors and in clubs..plenty of ifs, maybes and finesses!

You receive 3 lead to East’s Q and you take this with A, being likely to create a second trick in that suit if the defence get to continue the suit (did you notice 8 in dummy?). What then would you play at trick 2?

Our declarer tried the effect of a low diamond towards 10. West followed low and dummy’s J was beaten by East’s Q. East returned a diamond to 10 in dummy. What now can you deduce about East’s minor suit holdings? Surely, had East held another club, they would have had that on the table pretty smartly.

So, 10 won the trick and was followed by a spade to the ace and AK were cashed with West discarding 2 on the fourth round of diamonds and a heart and a club being discarded from dummy.  Neither major suit looked very appealing though a successful finesse would certainly help.

South chose well with a spade to J which won the trick and these cards remained with South having won 6 of the 7 tricks played so far:

It was then a relatively straightforward play of K and then 5. East had to present declarer with 2 heart tricks which along with 3 spades and 3 diamonds and A came to 9.

Nicely played in the ending by Margaret Perley from the recent National Teams in Dunedin. This board certainly contributed to the team of Margaret, Paul Freeland, Arleen Schwartz and Chris Ackerley finishing in 2^nd place. Although Margaret and Paul’s bidding was not as described above, the information available to the defence about Margaret holding a flat hand but no major suit was known to the defence.

These were the four hands:

 

 There were a couple of diamond leads from West, but the popular choices were either a club or 7. South can still prevail after that heart lead and by ducking both the opening lead and to whichever minor East switches (or even win A over Q, not a good idea had East more than one club) . The diamond duck is, of course, the successful finesse in that suit. That 7 looks like from a shortage and as long as South plays spades as indicated above, they will come to 9 tricks.

Had West held 4 spades, South can always take a heart finesse later. Yet, when East held the spade winner, the contract was cold.

 
  Paul, Margaret, Arleen and Chris

As Margaret commented after the hand, “You just have to try something.” And the “something” proved very successful.

Richard Solomon

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