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Hand Analyses 11th October, 2006
East would have done well to push on to 4♣ in this auction, but that was far from obvious with those soft values.
In 3♠, Declarer is destined to lose 3 Hearts and a Club, and it all depends on how she plays the trump suit. She’ll start with the Ace, and the Queen will pop out on her left. Should she now play the King, hoping that West started with QJ doubleton? Or should she cross to the board and finesse against the Jack? The answer is that the finesse is very much the percentage play, it’s the so-called Principle of Restricted Choice in action. The logic is a tad obscure, but it goes something like this: - If West had started with the singleton Queen he would be forced to play it - If West had started with the QJ doubleton, he might reasonably have played the Queen or the Jack - The odds of West starting with Q or QJ are approximately the same - So, after we play the Ace and the Queen appears on our left, it would be a mistake to play for the drop, that is hoping for two things … firstly, that West was indeed dealt the QJ, and, secondly, that he would have chosen to play the Queen from that holding, rather than the Jack - If, instead, we take the finesse on the second round, we are playing for just one thing, namely that singleton Queen, which had to be played because the choice was restricted to that.
Yes, it’s an elusive argument, but also a fairly frequent situation, and one that is worth remembering. Anyway, the Principle of Restricted Choice tells us to take the finesse and this works two times out of three, as indeed it does here.
System Note: Once every month or so we put in a plug for Support Doubles, and it’s about that time again. Playing Support Doubles (and Redoubles), Opener can distinguish between 3-card and 4-card support, which is most important information in the part-score battle. In the above auction, North’s 2♠ would show four-card support and a Support Redouble would show three-card support. So, as the auction went, South would be sure of a 9-card fit, and could compete accordingly.
Here’s an awkward situation for E-W! West opens 2♣, and North makes a Red vs White 3♦ preempt. After East passes, we’d suppose that West would normally introduce his suit if he had a suit-oriented 2♣ bid. So West’s Double is probably balanced and a hand that did not want to try 3NT … yes, it could also be a 3-suiter. And it could be all sorts of hand strengths. Or, to put it another way, who knows what West has? If East guesses to pass that Double, his side will collect +200, which is not so bad considering that E-W have no game. But it’s not a very convincing auction, too much guesswork involved.
System Note: What are your agreements when the opponents interfere over Partner’s 2♣ opening bid? One commonly used method is to play the Double as showing a bad hand, let’s say less than a King. Pass would deny such a bad hand, of course. This works rather well on the actual hand, as East will double, and West would no doubt pass seeing no likelihood of game and the hope of a worthwhile penalty. No guesswork on that auction!
A routine game, and surely the flattest board of the day, with 420’s all around the room.
Some Norths might jump into the fray with 2♠ over 1NT, but that’s way too risky for our taste, given the lack of shape and the vulnerability. On the actual hand we are talking -800 for those intrepid 2♠ bidders.
After the Jacoby Transfer, West’s 3♥ was a “Super-Accept”, a gadget we’ve already covered extensively on the Wednesday Game. There are a number of flavors available, and in the featured auction this pair played that 3♥ showed an “average hand” along with the 4 Hearts. True, the hand is at the low end of the 15-17 range, but we’d call it at least “average”, given those lovely controls.
This looks like another hand where everybody makes the same number of tricks, and in this case the number is 11. Let’s say that they lead the J♦ … all we have to do is draw trumps and ruff a couple of Clubs on the board. Pretty simple, and, with trumps 2-2, this line works fine. But correct play is to win the Diamond opening lead, cash the second Diamond and the A♣, then lose a Club … now Declarer has the entries (and enough high trumps) to get those two Club ruffs early in the play, thereby catering for a 3-1 trump break.
SAYC Note: In SAYC, a Super-Accept of (in this case) 3♥ is only made with 4 Hearts and a maximum.
On the combined N-S cards, we’d like to get to 4♠, it’s no sure thing but decent enough. We can see that the N-S auction did not hit the 4♠ jackpot (if it really is a jackpot, see below), so perhaps it’s time to play “Apportion the Blame”, if we may be permitted to borrow that term from the Bridge World magazine. The question is “Which of our two combatants underbid this one?” We’d say that it is close to a tie: - North has a 6-loser hand, which is normally not enough to go to game unilaterally in this situation … but as 6-loser hands go, this one is right up there, and we do believe that we might just charge into game, emboldened by our mighty Aces. - South has responded on a mere 3-count … is she really supposed to do more? Maybe … there is that singleton and the 4th trump … we’d feel a tad guilty bidding just 3♠ here, but also not terrifically confident about bidding 4♠.
Anyway, top marks (and matchpoints!) to any N-S pairs that got to game. Well, maybe! They also have to make it. East will likely lead the ominous Q♥, which will look awfully like a singleton to Declarer. Now, there is not much point in losing a Diamond in order to create an entry to the board for the trump finesse, because West will win the Diamond trick, cash a Heart and lead a third round of the suit, thereby promoting a trump trick for the defense. Therefore, Declarer should cash the A♠ at Trick Two, expecting that she will have to rely on the Club finesse to make 10 tricks. But, to her pleasant surprise, the K♠ drops, ensuring 10 tricks even with the Club finesse losing.
West was in a bind after the preempt and chose to make a penalty Double of 3♠ for want of better. Given the unfavorable vulnerability, this was not a great success, as South was able to make 6 trump tricks for -500 and a good save against the vulnerable game.
We don’t really fault West for his bad board, it was primarily a problem with the E-W methods. It’s becoming popular nowadays for a Double in this situation to be Negative (take-out, in other words), and this hand is a good commercial for that treatment. The requirements for the Double are game values and (in this case) 4 Hearts. The 1NT bidder can always convert the Double to a penalty if his hand so indicates, but, here he will gladly bid 4♥, which is good for 12 tricks when Hearts break with the King on-side.
South’s Double and West’s Redouble were both strength-showing, and North had the choice of passing the Redouble (which would say “Let’s defend this contract!”), or going back to Hearts. Bidding 2♥ was the winning choice, as 1♠ redoubled just squeaks home. 2♥ is also something of a squeaker, and 8 tricks are possible with careful play. For example: K♠ opening lead Spade continued and ruffed by Declarer Cash A♦ Diamond to West’s Queen Low Diamond continuation, ruffed in Dummy, and over-ruffed with the King Club shift to the Queen and King Club to Declarer’s Ace Diamond ruffed on the board Heart to the Ace, etc.
Back to the bidding … perhaps we were influenced by seeing all 4 hands, because it’s easy to see how West might not want to sell out to 2♥. He might well balance with a Double, after which his side will either play it in 2♠ doubled (down one for -200) or 3♣ probably undoubled. The fate of 3♣ (played by East) hinges on the opening lead … the unlikely Diamond lead beats it two tricks … on other leads it looks as if Declarer will come to 9 tricks (even 10 if the defense is not careful).
It seemed reasonable for West to take the sacrifice in 5♣, he has so little defense. Careful play results in down one … the ruffing Spade finesse allows the Heart loser to disappear.
That’s a great save against 4♠, but only if that contract can actually be made. The contract depends on losing just one Spade and the percentage play is to finesse the J♠ on the first round, protecting against KQx with East, giving Declarer an 89% chance of losing just one Spade … the alternative of playing A♠ and out a Spade is only 78% likely to succeed.
But there’s a hidden danger. Say that West leads a Club, and shifts to a Diamond. Declarer needs an entry to the board if he is to take that Spade safety play, and the only chance is in Hearts. The danger is that the play might go: A♣, Diamond shift, Heart to Dummy’s King and Ace, Diamond continuation, Heart to the board, losing Spade finesse, followed by a Heart ruff. For this catastrophic turn of events to occur, West would probably have started with 1-3-2-7, and East’s hand would have to be something like: ♠ Kx, ♥ Ax, ♦ Jxxxx, ♣ xxxx. Not much of a 1NT bid, in our view, but we’ve all seen (and no doubt done!) worse. Taking the Spade safety play gains 11% of the time, but who can possibly estimate the risk of them getting a Heart ruff?
South showed admirable restraint when she bid just 3♦. That’s a bid that might almost be made with an Ace less, so there was definitely the chance of a missed game when she made that call. On the other hand, she did not have a suitable game try available, certainly not 2NT with that Ax of their suit.
As for East, he must have been cursing the vulnerability when 3♦ got passed around to him. He doesn’t have much in the way of HCP’s, but the hand has some plus factors offensively … singleton in their suit, trump fillers, Hearts well placed over Opener (but these are also good defensively, of course). We’d be tempted to bid 3♠ anyway, but only against opponents who are not trigger-happy with that Double card.
How does 3♦ do? Despite South’s heroic forbearance in the bidding, it’s a perilous contract. Please see Play Problem # 80 to see how North might pull her side’s chestnuts out of the fire.
How about 3♠? Eight tricks appears to be the maximum, the defense can get their 5 tricks either by drawing trumps and limiting Declarer’s ruffs, or by going after their own ruffs (in Clubs).
In third seat, it is incumbent upon West to do something with that hand. There are a few options available, we rather like 1♠, but please see the Bidding Quiz for some other eminently reasonable plans.
Do you play Lebensohl when the opponents overcall Partner’s 1NT opening bid? It’s a useful treatment. Do you play “systems on” when Partner overcalls 1NT? Not a bad idea. If you answered “Yes” to both those questions, then 3♥ was forcing. Typically, the suit would be better, and there would be more HCP’s, but just as West felt compelled to do something with his 6-5, so should South feel similarly compelled with her own 6-5, and 3♥ looks like the best guess to us.
Against 4♥, a Diamond lead by West will take all the mystery out of the hand and Declarer has an easy 11 tricks. But the Q♣ opening lead makes Declarer’s life more difficult. She’ll be convinced by the bidding that the K♦ is with West, so it’s easy to see her winning the A♣, playing A♥, K♥, then a Heart to her Queen and a low Diamond … to her surprise and disappointment the King will be with East, she’ll ruff the Club return, cash A♦ and get another unpleasant surprise, and now will have to concede a Diamond for just 10 tricks.
North’s second Double was a typical balancing effort, saying “I don’t want to sell out so cheaply, but I don’t know what to bid”. South chose to try the 4-3 fit in Spades. When that got passed around to East, should he have bid on to the 3-level? Absolutely not! He can tell that the opponents have only a 7-card fit, and that his side probably has an 8-card fit. So, if they can make 2♠, the Law of Total Tricks suggests that 3♥ will be down two … and if 2♠ is down one, then 3♥ is also down one. There are just not enough trumps (on either side) to make it worth competing to the 3-level.
Against 2♠, West might well lead a Heart, which will be most unfortunate for the defense. Declarer runs that around to his Queen, plays a Heart to the Ace, takes the Heart ruff, finesses the J♦ and leads a Spade. East does best to duck, so the King wins, and another Spade is lead to the Ten, Jack and Ace. When the dust has cleared it will be 9 tricks for Declarer.
The lead that gives Declarer most trouble (in 2♠) is the T♠. Now, the defense will be able to stop the Heart ruff, and, even with the Diamonds behaving so well, there are only 7 obvious tricks. However, Declarer has a nifty resource. She wins the opening lead with the King, finesses the J♦, then finesses the 9♣ to West’s Queen. Back comes a Spade, and East draws trumps and shifts to the J♥. Declarer must not play the Queen … instead, low from her hand, won by the Ace, then cash the Diamonds, coming down to a 3-card ending. West is caught in a Throw-In Squeeze. If he keeps ♥K and ♣Kx, he gets thrown in with a Heart and must lead away from his K♣ … and, if he comes down to ♥Kx and ♣K, then the Clubs are good.
After North has overcalled 1♠, South was always going to 4♠ eventually. If that was the case, why did she waste time bidding 3♥ along the way? She wanted to let Partner know that she had a high-card raise to 4♠, not one based on distribution, just in case there was going to be a competitive decision to be made at the 5-level.
Just as on the previous board, E-W have the chance to make a disastrous K♥ underlead, and, looking at East’s hand, we’d rate that lead as quite likely. In fact, with a Heart lead even 11 tricks might be made: Heart to the Queen Spade to the Queen Heart to the Ace and a Heart ruff Spade Ten, ducked by East Another Spade, won by East Heart, ruffed by Declarer Draw the last trump J♣ led, establishing the 11th trick. Yes, East could have done better. When he wins the A♠ he should get out a Diamond. Now, the only way that Declarer can get back to hand to draw the last trump is via a Diamond ruff, but this sets up a Diamond winner for the defense before the second Club has been established.
On a non-Heart lead, only 9 tricks are possible with careful defense.
Just because East has 6 Diamonds and 8 HCP’s does not mean that he is obliged to make a Weak Two bid. Here, vulnerable and in second seat, with no Aces, Kings, or shortness, bidding 2♦ is asking for trouble. It turns out to be quite a rum auction … first, East passes with his 6 Diamonds, then South is obliged to open a 3-card suit, Club and then West overcalls a 4-card Spade suit. After the initial skirmishing, N-S settle on their 9-card Heart fit, and E-W do well not to compete further.
Against 2♥, West leads the A♠, East playing the Jack. Now, it would be fatal for West to continue with Spades, giving Partner a ruff, as that would result in no fewer than ten tricks after trumps are drawn and the Club loser goes on the established Spade.
Better defense (after the A♠ lead) is to shift, and a Diamond looks like the obvious candidate. Declarer wins the Diamond, cashes A♥ and K♥, then leads a Spade to West’s Ten. This is West’s last chance to shift to a Club, otherwise a Spade will be established for a Club pitch on the board. It’s a tough shift to find, considering South’s 1♣ opening, but a bit of counting should save the day. By now, Declarer has shown up with the Q♠, A♥, and A♦. With the A♣ and Q♣ she would have 16 HCP’s, enough for a 1NT opening bid. So, surely, East has one of those cards and a Club shift is quite safe. Good defense by West … first, he refrained from giving Partner his Spade ruff, then he found the timely Club switch … the end-result of these good choices is an above-average board when Declarer is held to just 8 tricks.
Anyone for “New Minor Forcing” with the North hand? Using that gadget, North could have bid 2♦ after Partner’s 1NT, checking back for a 3-card Spade fit. It’s certainly an option here, we much prefer North’s actual 3NT bid, giving up on the 5-3 Spade fit. The hand looks No Trumpish with those Queens in the unbid suit.
It turns out that Spades and No Trump score the same number of tricks, though, in 3NT a Diamond lead will make Declarer somewhat nervous … she’ll have to fly with Queen and later finesse the J♣ to come to 10 tricks. On any other lead, it’s plain sailing for 10 tricks.
We’d predict that this one will get passed out at most tables, but you cannot have much fun analyzing a passed out board, so we have inflicted a somewhat dubious “lead-directing” 1♣ opening bid on our 3rd seat North. The flavor of the week appears to be balancing Doubles and South has another classic example … no obvious place to play, but unwilling to sell out to 2♦. By now, North must have been getting nervous about her decision to open 1♣, but it turns out that 2♠ is a safe resting place, or, if not entirely safe, then at least not doubled.
Against 2♠, West has no obvious opening lead. If he is playing in a two-boards-per-round Mitchell, he will have just come off a round (Boards 11 and 12) where underleading the K♥ was disastrous on both boards. Nonetheless, he may lead a Heart anyway, if only on the theory that this lead has to work eventually. This time the Heart lead is not a disaster, but neither is it a spectacular success. The ensuing play is complicated with innumerable variations, but it looks to us that, with normal lines of play, 2♠ is down one.
E-W had a studious auction to keep out of the rather dubious Spade game. 3♣ was a game try showing Clubs and West subsided in 3♠ with his minimum. We’d bet that many pairs will just bash into the poor game, and they will be rewarded when everything behaves so kindly. The game will be beaten by most 4-1 trump breaks, and also most of the time when the Heart finesse loses, and, on top of that, there is the danger of a Diamond ruff. But, trumps break, the Heart is onside, there’s no Diamond ruff, and 4♠ makes 10 tricks. A good board for the bashers.
Rebidding 1NT with a singleton may not be to everyone’s taste, especially when there is a convenient 2♣ rebid available, but we rather like it ourselves. Please see the Bidding Quiz for more on this. How about South’s Pass? We like that bid, too! Game is a long shot and it’s matchpoints, so why not relax in the comfort of a cozy 1NT contract?
As is so common with 1NT contracts, it’s rather difficult to predict the outcome. So many possible twists and turns. It’ll be 8 or 9 tricks, that’s the best we can do.
We offer this auction as a cautionary tale. N-S got them into a well-deserved pickle and fully earned their zero. Harsh words, indeed, forgive our frankness. Did you Souths open that hand 1♦? It’s not completely terrible, but it’s minimum in terms of HCP’s, minimum on the Rule of Twenty scale, and furthermore it has some flaws … those two dangling Queens just don’t pull their weight. We’d pass.
Next, let’s look at the North hand. In this situation, we normally have about 10+ HCP’s for that 2♣ bid, no doubt North added a point or two for that sixth Club. But, if she was going to do that she might also have taken off something for the dangling Spade Queen, the poor holding in Partner’s suit, the absence of shortness, and the astonishing lack of Club fillers. Yes, 2♣ is a serious overbid here.
It was kind of East to take pity on the opponents by not doubling their 3♣ contract, but they get it for 2 tricks anyway, and that +200 will be a fine board for E-W.
If N-S are less exuberant, then E-W will no doubt find their Heart partial, which should be good for 9 tricks.
South might well have rebid 3♥ … yes, it’s only 14 HCP’s, but we love all those Aces. As South took the low road, it was just as well that North took the high road, and that notwithstanding the singleton in Partner’s suit she liked her hand well enough to invite.
4♥ is a fine contract, but will get derailed by the 4-0 trump break. Suppose that East leads a low Spade (what else?). Declarer wins, and starts to fantasize about an overtrick or two. Her plan is to take two rounds of trumps, finesse the Q♦ (setting up a Club pitch), and, if all goes well it will be a colossal 12 tricks. But all is most certainly not well, and it’s a sub-colossal 9 tricks.
South might well have started with a 1NT bid, but that depends on the partnership’s agreements in this situation, please see the Bidding Quiz. We like North’s 2NT bid! She didn’t want to waste time with that anemic Heart suit, especially as it was unlikely that Partner had 4 of them (by the failure to double). So she made the No Trump value bid, and alighted in the obvious contract.
In 3NT, it looks like 9 tricks all day long … Declarer simply has to set up the Diamonds. But there maybe a little trap along the way. Suppose that East leads the J♣, disregarding Partner’s opening Spade bid. Declarer does well to duck this, and then a Club is continued. Should Declarer duck again? No, that would allow the defense to shift to Hearts and set up their 5th trick before Declarer gets her 9th. So she wins the second Club, cashes a high Diamond and the K♠, and crosses to the A♠, then ducks a Diamond. As we said, it’s 9 tricks.
North’s 4-loser hand was definitely minimum for a 2♣ opener … South made a waiting bid, not considering that weak Spade bid worth mentioning … then South’s 3♥ was more encouraging than a jump to 4♥ (the so-called Principle of Fast Arrival) … finally, North’s bid of 4♥ conveyed the “minimum” message.
Against 4♥, East leads the J♦, won by the A♦. Declarer’s plan is simple enough … cross to the Q♥, take a Club finesse, later ruff a Club, and make 12 or 13 tricks. But when East shows out on the first round of Hearts, the best that Declarer can do is 11 tricks … she loses the Club finesse, gets the Club ruff, but does not have the entries needed to finesse against the T♦ and also enjoy the 4th round of the suit.
As there’s a tendency to open light in 3rd seat, many pairs play Drury. In its simplest form, 2♣ by East, opposite a 3rd seat one-of-a-major opening is conventional, showing a decent hand and support for Partner. South’s Double was lead-directing, and 2♠ showed a complete lack of interest in game opposite a passed hand.
Against 2♠, after South’s lead-directing Double of 2♣ it was only common courtesy for North to lead the suit. Dummy’s Ace wins the trick, and a Spade is led. South takes her Ace and must shift to a Diamond pronto, otherwise Declarer will lead towards the KQx of Hearts a couple of times and get a Diamond pitch. +140 for E-W will be par for the course.
You’ll notice that we did not ascribe a 2♦ overcall to the West hand. Call us fuddy-duddies if you will but we just don’t think that this hand quite cuts the mustard for a vulnerable two-over-one overcall. Without that dubious overcall, N-S will probably come to rest in 2NT.
Against 2NT, even without a 2♦ overcall, East will likely lead a Diamond, and Declarer will likely make 8 tricks. She’ll play on Hearts, and eventually score one Spade, one Heart, 2 Diamonds, and 4 Clubs.
We would love to be able to report that the “dubious overcall” of 2♦ results in calamity for E-W. But, alas, they will get away with it, even worse, the bid might well push N-S into the doomed 3NT game. It’s not difficult to predict this auction:
South West North East 1♥ 2♦ 2♠ Pass 3♣ Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass
East’s hand here is remarkably similar to West’s holding on the previous board. We disdained to overcall on that board, but here the hand is a bit stronger and the suit better, and it would be hard to argue with 2♦ here, at any vulnerability. That will get E-W to 3NT in a hurry.
Against 3NT, North might well lead a Spade, and Declarer will confidently call for Dummy’s Queen. Why so confident? Well, North did open the bidding, she must have almost all of the missing points, and if the Queen is taken by South’s Ace or King, Declarer can be sure that the subsequent Diamond finesse will work. As it happens, the Q♠ wins the trick, the Diamond finesse loses, and it’s 9 tricks.
It’s not often that you see an auction with no fewer than 4 balancing actions, but here’s one. Nobody would fault West for the first balance, with shortness in the opponent’s suit, but it works out rather poorly here, thanks to aggressive bidding by N-S, for more on which please see the Bidding Quiz.
Against 2♦ doubled, North will no doubt lead the Q♠, and the best that Declarer can do is to score 2 Spades, one Heart, 2 Diamonds, and 2 Clubs, for down one and the dreaded -200.
Against 3NT, it seems normal (albeit dangerous) for East to lead a Heart. That turns out to be fatal for the defense, as it presents Declarer with her 9th trick … all she has to do is set about the Diamonds, eventually scoring 3 Spades, 3 Hearts, and 3 Diamonds.
The lead that really creates a headache for Declarer is a Spade, after which it will require double dummy play to make the contract: Win the opening lead with the A♠ Q♣. which East must win to preserve West’s entries Spade continuation won by the Queen Low Diamond, won by East’s Queen Club to West’s King Spade to Dummy’s King J♦ squashing East's Ten, and that’s 9 tricks for Declarer That play in the Diamond suit is a rare bird, indeed, it’s called an intra-finesse.
System Note: Many pairs play Puppet Stayman opposite a 2NT opening, which allows Opener to show both 4-card and 5-card majors. With this tool available, on this hand South would be well advised to use Puppet in search of a 5-3 major fit.
What are your methods after 1♦ 2♣? For more on this, please see the Bidding Quiz.
All roads seem to lead to 10 tricks in No Trump. The correct play in the Club suit is to finesse the Ten on the first round, this gives Declarer the best chance of scoring 4 tricks in the suit, but, on the actual layout, it’s only 3 Club tricks, whichever way the suit is played.
SAYC Note: In SAYC, 1♦ 2♣ is not game-forcing, and now 2♥ would show extras. So West would no doubt bid 2NT, getting the contract played from the other side, for the same 10 tricks.
We like East’s 2♠ bid at this vulnerability, and it puts South in an awkward situation. 3NT seems like the best guess to us, though South must have been nervous about missing a Club slam.
3NT is a routine 11 tricks, but the play in 6♣ could be quite interesting. Please see Play Problem # 81.
West’s 2NT was Jordan, showing a 4-card raise with at least invitational values.
The final contract is quite poor indeed, and it’s possible that Declarer might be down a whopping 3 tricks if she misguesses Clubs, and down 2 otherwise. However, with careful play she can do a trick better than that. The extra trick can achieved by reversing the Dummy, as follows: K♦ lead ducked Diamond continuation won by the Ace Diamond ruff Heart to the King getting the bad news Club from the board, let’s say it is misguessed Club returned to North’s Ace Heart to the Ace, and the J♥ cashed Spade to Ace Club ruff This line gives Declarer 8 tricks even with the Club misguess. It may not seem like much of a triumph but it might well be worth almost average!
Opener reverses, and West has plenty for game, though his Clubs might have been better for that 3NT bid.
If North leads a Club it’s 10 easy tricks. There’s no obvious reason why North should lead a Spade on this auction, but it certainly makes the play interesting if she does, because it disrupts Declarer’s communications: Spade to the Ace Club to the King, ducked! Cash the Diamonds, pitching Hearts and/or Spades Exit a Club Now, South can return a black card, reuniting Declarer with Dummy’s stranded winners, and that will be 10 tricks for Declarer. Or she can play A♥ and out a Heart … the K♥ is the 9th trick, and the ♥98 can force another Heart trick … so 10 tricks again, this time without scoring those winners on the board.
Not everybody would open the West hand with 1NT but it looks like the best course of action to us. If the auction starts with 1♦, then 1♠ by Partner, we’ll be stuck for a good rebid. Either way, 4♥ is likely to be reached, and, with the Hearts favorably placed, it will be 10 easy tricks.
North must have been tempted to go to game opposite South’s wide-ranging 2♠, and South must also have been tempted with that void in the opponents’ suit.
The question of the day is “Just how many tricks can N-S make in Spades?”. Let’s say that the defense plays a forcing game, lead Hearts at every opportunity. Eventually, Declarer will scramble 9 tricks … 3 Heart ruffs, 3 top trumps, the A♣, and two Diamonds. The forcing defense makes it impossible for Declarer to enjoy the long Clubs.
However, Declarer has a resource which makes no fewer than 11 tricks possible! Back on Board 26 we encountered that rare bird, the intra-finesse, and perhaps it’s their mating season because here’s another sighting. Declarer ruffs the opening Heart, leads a Club to the Eight and the Queen. Now another Heart ruff, draw trumps ending on the board, then the coup de grace … the J♣ allowing the Clubs to be picked up for one loser! That’s 10 tricks, and, if Declarer wishes to be utterly piggish, she can take the Diamond finesse for 11 tricks.
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