All News

Daily Bridge in New Zealand

Think before you pick.

It’s 3NT. It’s trick 1. It’s vital. I am sure you have been there many times. Just take a couple of deep breaths before you play.

That might be our ultimate message today but our initial problem is the opening lead.

South Deals
None Vul

   

Q 8 6 5 3

10 6

K 3 2

Q 10 7

 

N

W

 

E

S

   

 

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

1 ♣

1 ♠

2 

Pass

2 NT

Pass

3 NT

All pass

 

1Club-small was 3+ clubs and 2NT showed a 12-14 no-trump shape. What is your choice?

There are times when you lead your own suit with conviction and other times when you lead it with hope..and there are other times when you just should not bother to lead it at all.

You never really had much of an overcall in the first place, poor suit, poor hand. Partner could have bid 2Spade-small over 2Diamond-small with any moderate support and a few hcp. Silence. Look elsewhere.

Where? Well, not diamonds. North bid them quite confidently. So, it’s down to a choice of 2 suits. The odds are getting better. No-one bid the other major. South might still have 4 hearts in their weak no-trump but there is no guarantee they do. So, why not have a go with Heart-small10?  

Let’s see the 4 hands:

South Deals
None Vul

K J 4

K 9 3

Q J 10 8 6

8 3

Q 8 6 5 3

10 6

K 3 2

Q 10 7

 

N

W

 

E

S

 

7

A J 7 4 2

7 5 4

K J 9 4

 

A 10 9 2

Q 8 5

A 9

A 6 5 2

 

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

1 ♣

1 ♠

2 

Pass

2 NT

Pass

3 NT

All pass

 

Put yourself in South’s position. You would seem to have 3 spade tricks and 4 in diamonds (assuming no really fortunate fall of Diamond-smallK. You have Club-smallA and one certain heart trick. That’s a good number but you need to limit the number of tricks the defence can take as you still have to lose to the Diamond-smallK.

We are still at trick 1 and as you can see above, a lazy small heart from dummy and you will soon be writing down a minus score.

It is easier to play Heart-smallK when you see that Heart-small9 in dummy. That really confirms where the Heart-smallA and probably heart length are…with East. Yet even without Heart-small9 or Heart-small8, it is often correct to put up dummy’s honour at trick 1, to force East to take the ace or concede 2 heart tricks. Only if West has led from AT9 to a number of hearts or say 4 or 5 small hearts is playing the Heart-smallK wrong. West bid spades, not hearts here….and dummy has Heart-small9.

So, put up the king and the heart suit ceases to become a threat. The best East can do is win and switch to a club. South will have to duck the first two rounds, win the ace and hope that the player who wins Diamond-smallK, does not have the last club. South’s prayers would be answered.

South’s other option, had they forgotten to play Heart-smallK, is to duck the first round of hearts completely. West continues the suit and East needs to win their ace and find a club switch to beat 3NT.

So, did you as West beat 3NT? The only legitimate way is by finding an initial club lead. Now, the defence must take 3 club tricks, Diamond-smallK and Heart-smallA. That’s a tough lead to find even if 1Club-small could be short, which, of course, it was not.

For the record, West was on lead at 8 tables to 2NT or 3NT. A spade was led 6 times and once each the lead was a diamond or Heart-small10. The 6 declarers in 3NT all made their contract.

So, try to recognise the times when leading your own suit is wrong. 1Spade-small would not be everyone’s choice of call with those West cards but it should at least have convinced West not to lead their own suit.

old chestnut.jpg

old chestnut!

Then, as declarer, do not play too quickly to trick 1. Familiar advice, no doubt, but still very true.

Diving?

     

South Deals
N-S Vul

 

N

W

 

E

S

 

A Q 8 7 4

K 10 8 5 4

5

A K

 

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

1 ♣

3 ♠

5 ♣

?

 

Should you? Are you? Are they?

Well? 1Club-small is 4+ clubs and you are playing Teams.

Richard Solomon

Go Back View All News Items

Our Sponsors
  • Tauranga City Council
  • TECT.jpg