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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

The Writing on the Wall.

You are playing Pairs and overtricks do matter: the more the better if you are declarer. So, what do you think about the contract below? Maybe there are 10 tricks available in your major suit game…or maybe not. However, 11 are better than 10. Let’s take a look.

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South Deals
None Vul

A K 5 3

Q J 10 3

K 9 2

Q 6

   

N

W

 

E

S

   
 

8 7

A 9 7 5 2

4

A J 10 4 2

 

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

1 

2 ♠

Dbl

Pass

3 ♣

Pass

4 

All pass

 

 

South judged their hand as too strong for a “hearts and a minor” 2Heart-small opening and started the ball rolling at the 1-level. This produced a weak jump from West and a time-biding negative double from North. West led Spade-smallQ with East following to the first trick with Spade-small6. What now?

A successful heart finesse and then another success in the club suit would lead to a minimum 12 tricks depending on how many clubs each defender held. All 13 would be possible if the suit broke 3-3.

However, if West held Heart-smallK…and they should have at least one more honour to go with the Spade-smallQJ.. would spell trouble, big time trouble if they held the Club-smallK as well. South would lose not just a trick in each minor and the Heart-smallK but also if West continued spades when in with the Heart-smallK, a spade ruff assuming East held at least 2 hearts. That is down one!

So, what to play at trick 2? Have you got that Heart-smallQ on the table yet? Seems best. Many defenders play the Heart-smallK in the East seat even though they know it cannot possibly gain for them to do so. As a defender, always think before you cover… think before the declarer calls for the queen. If it cannot benefit your side, then do not cover.

Our East played a low heart. What now? South did not finesse because they saw the writing on the wall. Finessing threatened their contract as much as that play might secure overtricks.

East was likely to have more hearts than West (West has 6 spades. East has just 1.) and there were two reasons to play the Heart-smallA at trick 2. West could have singleton Heart-smallK or this, the actual lay-out.

South Deals
None Vul

A K 5 3

Q J 10 3

K 9 2

Q 6

Q J 10 9 4 2

K 8

10 5

7 5 3

 

N

W

 

E

S

 

6

6 4

A Q J 8 7 6 3

K 9 8

 

8 7

A 9 7 5 2

4

A J 10 4 2

 

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

1 

2 ♠

Dbl

Pass

3 ♣

Pass

4 

All pass

 

 

Had the Heart-smallK scored, East would indeed score a spade ruff. Best defence then would be to cash Diamond-smallA (South cannot have more than 2 diamonds..remember the 3Club-small bid) and may have less.

However, after winning Heart-smallA, South played a second heart. West won and had to find a diamond switch to score a second trick for the defence. Perhaps they should have done as the club suit looked ominous from West’s point of view. However, a second spade gave declarer the opportunity to discard all three of dummy’s diamonds on their clubs, making 12 tricks.

Playing Heart-smallA at trick 2 was not guaranteed to be the winning play. Had East held Heart-smallKxx and West the Diamond-smallA, South would suffer a ruff needlessly. The success of the contract would then depend on who held the Club-smallK. In addition, had East held Heart-smallKx, then finessing would certainly have been a better line!

However, there were two reasons to play Heart-smallA at trick 2 with one relevant on this deal. Did you spot “the writing on the wall” and perhaps take action to avoid a very annoying ruff? If so, you were well rewarded.

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overtricks!

East may have regretted not calling 3Diamond-small over North’s double of 2Spade-small. A diamond lead and spade switch would put South under a lot of pressure in their trump play. However, as stated, West really ought to have found the diamond switch when in with the Heart-smallK; so, from East’s point of view, their failure to bid should not have been costly. East was happy with a spade lead though diamond lead, spade switch would have told their partner how to defend when in with the Heart-smallK..unless South had taken precautions!

So, it was not just for overtricks but also to safeguard their contract that the heart finesse was not taken. South was duly rewarded.

                  What’s to be done..or bid?

 

 

8 7 4 3

5 2

10 3

A Q J 10 9

 

West

North

East

South

 

 

1 

2 ♠

3 

?

 

 

 

It’s Pairs and the opponents alone are vulnerable. 2Spade-small is a weak jump. What now?

Richard Solomon

 

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