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Too Good To Lead

We all have been frustrated when we fail to beat 3NT when the computer analysis says 8 tricks is the limit…but when 6 tricks is the limit for declarer, it is even more frustrating. What went wrong?

Firstly, though, you are South and have to decide what to do at trick 2. Here is the story so far:

 

2 was Stayman with West denying four spades though there would be no guarantee about the heart suit.

Your partner leads 3 covered by the jack and won by the ace, West playing 5. What now?

At the table, South switched to the 2. The chance to beat the contract by 3 tricks had gone by your partner’s choice of opening lead. However, the low club, although not the best for the defence should still have seen this contract defeated. Dummy’s low point count and shape always would mean the contract would be tight. However, South might have wondered why North did not lead their partner’s suit and led at best a miserable honourless suit which dummy professed to hold (the Stayman bid). How could they not have a heart?

 

 

South missed the inference that North’s hearts were just too good to lead. Indeed, had North led the 8, would South know to play the king? To beat the contract by three tricks, the defence must lead a heart (followed by a club switch)or a club. However, the contract was not defeated at all.

Declarer scored their K and could see nothing better to do than play off five rounds of diamonds. South had no problems throwing 2 spades and a heart but North was in some difficulty. All three spades had to be kept which meant North had to choose between hearts and clubs. They chose 2 clubs and a heart. Declarer exited with Q and the defence could only now take 2 heart tricks leaving the dummy hand high with  KQ and 9 for the last three tricks.

North had to discard very carefully, throwing all three clubs. Then, when declarer exited with the club, North could now release one of their spades, allowing South to finally, in desperation, switch to a low heart to beat the contract with three tricks in that suit.

North might have saved the day in the bidding by calling 2. East would have then doubled for take-out. If West chose to try no-trumps, South would then know there was some heart support in partner’s hand, whatever the lead.

At least North had not led their 10 as that would almost certainly given declarer three tricks in that suit…and the contract. A lesson, though, for South that sometimes your partner just might have too good a support for your suit to lead them, especially if their holding is a three or even a four card suit headed by the ace. The club switch was pure speculation. Had the defence taken their three heart tricks early, South would not find it too hard to cash their A for the setting trick.

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

 

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