PLAY & DEFEND BETTER: FOR IMPROVING PLAYERS

 North deals

None vulnerable

 

                       Spade-small KQT6

                       Heart-small KJ7

                       Diamond-small 9872

                       Club-small 83

Spade-small 832                                  Spade-small J954

Heart-small Q2                                   Heart-small T5

Diamond-small KQ                                  Diamond-small AT65

Club-small AKQ972                          Club-small J65

                      Spade-small A7

                      Heart-small A98643

                      Diamond-small J43

                      Club-small T4

Bidding:

N.    E.    S.     W

-       -     2Heart-small   3Club-small

3Heart-small  -      -       -

 

At the table West lead the AClub-small playing over leads. However, this is an interesting board as it provides a good example of the benefits of the alternative approach of making underleads with touching honours (i.e the lead of an honour promises the higher touching honour or is a singleton or doubleton).

After the alternative lead of the KClub-small East playing count plays 5Club-small. West continues with QClub-small East knows at this point West also has the AClub-small plays 6Club-small showing 3+Club-small after South follows suit.

West now switches to KDiamond-small with East playing 5Diamond-small. Now when West continues with the QDiamond-small East knows with absolute certainty West has a doubleton as they didn’t initially underlead the QDiamond-small so after overtaking with the ADiamond-smallthere is no hesitation in leading another Diamond-small for West to ruff for the setting trick, even if South attempts the deceptive play of dropping the JDiamond-small under the ADiamond-small to threaten a ruff.

So for this particular board utilising underleads East has just a little more certainty to overtake the QDiamond-small and then continue Diamond-small to defeat the contract. Perhaps another lead style option for the improving player to consider ....

 

Started by SEAN LYNCH on 30 May 2019 at 01:30AM

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  1. STANLEY ABRAHAMS31 May 2019 at 06:26PM

    East playing count plays the 5 of clubs, you write.

    Improving players (and all others) are not taught count. Just attitude.(Actually reverse attitude).

    So it is not very easy to teach underleads when such a simple thing as count is too much.

    "I may not know if I like a suit, but I am usually able to count the number of cards in the suit" 

  2. Scott Smith06 Jun 2019 at 04:00PM

    Sometimes we make things more complicated than they need to be. 

    The correct diamond play doesn’t need any signalling method.

    If west leads king then queen of diamonds, overtaking the queen with the ace and playing a small diamond back is 100%.  Either:

    • West has the 13th diamond: nothing is lost by overtaking the Q and playing a small diamond - there is no haste to attack any other suit and even a pitch on the third round cannot help declarer (say declarer started with Jx and picks the third round is standing up to the 9 so discards); or
    • West is doubleton KQ: in which case you get to ruff the third round before it can be pitched on spades.

    The hand is an example of keeping an eye on the big picture, and not getting too caught up on what you think the carding signal means.  You also cater for partner having got any agreement wrong, which is always handy to cover off if you can... just in case.

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