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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

 

                  Planning….

 

You are lucky if you can make a plan to make your contract, “lucky” in the sense that you have a chance. Sometimes, you are in damage control at trick 1.

So, the mental note you make for yourself when dummy is tabled:

  • ·        Thank partner
  • ·        Make a mental note that sometime later you can tell them they have rather overbid. It is better to do so when you have made your contract and say that an opening hand is not always as strong as they would anticipate.
  • ·        Plan
  • ·        Play to trick 1, from dummy first.
  • ·        Be determined to make your contract.

 

  Seems easy…

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South Deals
Both Vul
K 2
A 10 7 3
7 3 2
K 7 4 3
   
N
W   E
S
   
 
A 9 6 4 3
K 9 8 5
10
A 8 6
West North East South
      1 
Pass 1 NT Pass 2 
Pass 4  All pass  

Well, North really liked his controls, especially in the majors. 4Heart-small was certainly an overbid. So, over to you as South to justify their partner’s optimism. West led Club-smallJ.

 

A combined 21 hcp is sometimes enough for a major suit game. With no hcp in diamonds opposite a singleton and two useful black suit fits, it looks like 10 tricks should be there.

 

What happened

Our declarer thanked partner (got that bit right) and won the Club-smallA in hand to play Heart-smallK and a heart to the ace with the Heart-smallQ falling from East on the second round. Next came spades, Spade-smallK, spade to the ace and a ruff with East neither following to the third round of spades nor being able to over-ruff.

 

However, South was in trouble:

 

 

South Deals
Both Vul
K 2
A 10 7 3
7 3 2
K 7 4 3
Q J 8 5
J 6 4
A Q 9 4
J 5
 
N
W   E
S
 
10 7
Q 2
K J 8 6 5
Q 10 9 2
 
A 9 6 4 3
K 9 8 5
10
A 8 6
West North East South
      1 
Pass 1 NT Pass 2 
Pass 4  All pass  

 

They were stuck in dummy. They tried the effect of Club-smallK and a third round of clubs which East won. Now a low diamond saw the Diamond-smallQ win with West’s Heart-smallJ removing dummy’s last trump. Next came Diamond-smallA, ruffed… and South had to concede not just a spade trick but another diamond to be down two!

 

Maybe suspend that talk with partner about overbidding! Check out the play first.

Where did South go wrong?

 At trick 1, of course, as so often happens.

perfect plan.jpg

 

 

If you are setting up tricks to your own hand, then you generally should keep entries to that hand as long as possible. There would have been no problem had each defender held 3 spades but that will only happen just over one time in three:

 

 Not this time!

 

The key to success was as simple as winning the first trick with the Club-smallK in dummy. There was nothing to be gained from running the Club-smallJ to dummy’s ace.

So, win the Club-smallK, play two rounds of trumps (that was wise…as you can see, otherwise, the defence could have scored two trump tricks.) and three rounds of spades, ruffing. Now back to the Club-smallA and ruff another spade. You can exit a diamond and West can draw one of your trumps but you will ruff the second round of diamonds and play the winning spade…that’s three spade tricks, two spade ruffs, three heart tricks (including ruffing the diamond in hand) and Club-smallAK..10 tricks made.

 

It’s time, well not yet….later…to discuss the bidding! Your partner is feeling good about their bid and you are also happy with your play. Next board, please!

 

Jan’s Day

 More Planning

 

But this time, you are defending.

 

 

 

South Deals
E-W Vul
A 9
A K Q 4
A 10 8 5
A J 2
8 6 3
J 9 7 6 3
K J 3 2
3
 
N
W   E
S
   
West North East South
You Dummy    
      2 
Pass 2 NT Pass 3 
Pass 3  Pass 3 NT
Pass 4  Dbl Pass
Pass 6  All pass  

 

2Spade-smallis a Weak 2 but may be a card suit, 5-9 hcp. All North’s bids except the last are relays, artificial.

South showed 4 diamonds (3Diamond-small) and 5143 shape (3NT) while the pass of 4Club-smallx showed a minimum hand.

 

 You lead your club won in dummy. Declarer plays their 3 top hearts discarding two clubs from hand and then a low diamond from dummy to East’s Diamond-small6 and South’s Diamond-small7. Over to you?

 

Richard Solomon

 

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