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"Step" to Success.

Today’s deal, again from last weekend’s Regional Championships, is really about declarer play but first of all, spare a thought for those defenders on lead who found a really challenging lead but who were to get a poor result despite:

 

 

3NT is Gambling style, a solid long minor suit with no outside ace or king. 6NT says I hope we have 12 tricks!

What about this auction, with 3NT having the same meaning as above?

 

6 was pass or correct to diamonds with North happy to pass.

There would be no story to this deal unless you found a heart lead to either auction. That lead seems quite aggressive. A is known, or presumed to be in the South hand and either way, this lead could easily have given away the 12^th trick.. but not today.

On any other lead, in either contract, a declarer could do a quick piece of maths…7+ 4 +1 = 12 tricks but on a heart lead, the maths is a little different: 7+4+1= 11 tricks! Let’s see why:

 

In either contract, a declarer could count 7 club tricks along with 4 certain diamond tricks and A but on a heart lead, they could not cash those 4 diamond tricks very easily without losing a trick to A first..and then a heart second! 6NT or 6 not making.

However, North would still have hope that East holds A. They have to take A at trick 1 and will then play off their club tricks. After the heart lead to 6NT, (West would play an encouraging heart, showing K) and 6 rounds of clubs, this could be the position:

Only East can guard diamonds but the 7^th round of clubs is terminal for East. They can discard their heart though then North can cash Q and play a spade, a nice “stepping-stone” squeeze as all East can then do is put declarer on table with a diamond.

Had East thrown a diamond, declarer plays Q overtaking and enjoys 4 rounds of diamonds: either way contract made. Of course, had West held 4 diamonds, the contract could not be made even with East holding A.

So, Philip Hensman was on course to make 6NT in Otago-Southland’s Seniors’ match against Waikato Bays. It did not matter that East-West did not get their discards quite right as Philip was set to make his contract as he cashed his club winners. Unlucky for Murray Wood who had found Q lead.

The winning Otago-Southland Seniors' Team

 
Graeme Stout, Pamela Nisbet, Frances Sheehy and Philip Hensman

Another who did well but had nothing to show for it was Anthony Ker in Wellington’s Open Team match against Central Districts. He found a small heart lead against Jack James’ 6 contract, the bidding being straightforward as above.

However, Jack found another good line after that initial heart lead. He started to draw trumps and noted at trick 2, the fall of the 8 from East. This gave Jack extra chances. At trick 3, he cashed Q and then played a club to 7 in his hand.

He then cashed AKJ and if Anthony, West, had held 4 diamonds originally, Jack would have been home having discarded his losing heart and 2 losing spades. He would only have had one spade left as a loser.

However, Anthony had to follow to three rounds of diamonds and ruffed the fourth round. Jack, who had discarded his heart loser and one spade, overruffed and now just needed the A with East. A spade towards dummy provided Jack with his 12^th trick. This middle cards can sometimes be most valuable, this time the fall of 8 enabling 6 to make not just on the chance of a squeeze but whenever East held A and indeed had West held A and 4 diamonds too.

 
Anthony Ker (middle) may have lost this board (only game was bid at the other table) 
but he and his teammates won overall. Pictured are Russell Dive, Peter Newell, 
Anthony, Martin Reid and Alan Grant. (missing from picture: Mariusz Tumilowicz)

So, a nice “stepping stone” squeeze and another careful play to ensure that two defenders would not gain from their excellent choice of opening lead.

Richard Solomon

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