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Hand Analyses         November 15th, 2006

 

 

 1

♠ KJ

AQJ5

AJ986

♣ A6

 

♠ QT8

9764

KQ3

♣ K42

          North

West             East

          South

♠ A963

K32

T52

♣ 753


Dlr     North   
Vul     None 



 

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♠ 7542

T8

74

♣ QJT98

West    North   East     South

            2NT     Pass    Pass

Pass

 

 

We start with an unhappy contract for N-S, where getting out for down one will be an achievement.  North shows 20-21 HCP’s, South says “Big deal!”, and East leads a Spade to the Queen and King.  Declarer does best to go after the Hearts, starting with the Queen, which East must duck to stop the entry to Dummy.  Now, a low Heart to East’s King.  At this point, the Spade suit is blocked and East is entryless.  Furthermore, East will not know whether Declarer started with 2 or 3 or 4 Spades.  In the circumstances, it looks best for East to exit safely with a Heart, the object of the exercise being to avoiding blowing tricks, as opposed to trying to set up tricks.  Well, two can play at that game, so Declarer cashes her Hearts, and exits a Spade.  East wins the Spade, and leads another Spade to West’s Ten.

 

By now, West is down to just minor suit cards, three in each suit.  An attentive West will also know the exact layout at this point:

-         Declarer needs the AJ and the A♣ to get up to her 20 HCP’s

-         Declarer surely has just 2 Clubs, otherwise she would have played on this suit earlier

-         Therefore, Declarer is currently down to:  AJxx  ♣ Ax.

 

West can make life simple by exiting with a Club, giving N-S a 7th trick.  A Diamond shift keeps things in suspense for a bit longer, but all roads lead to 7 tricks, sooner or later the defense will be forced to lead Clubs.

 

 

 2

♠ AT2

Q6

KQJT73

♣ 84




Bidding Quiz (N&S)

♠ 765

T95

54

♣ AQJ96

          North

West             East

          South

♠ KQJ93

A4

982

♣ KT3

 

Dlr       East
Vul      N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 84

KJ8732

A6

♣ 752

West    North   East     South

                        1♠        Pass

2♠        3        Pass    3

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

Bold bidding by North, especially considering the vulnerability.  But the suit is good and that always makes it that much harder for the opponents to make a low-level penalty Double, so we’d be inclined to risk the same bid.  Anyway, the trick for N-S on this hand is to compete to 3 or 3, even though, in theory, perfect opponents can double either contract, and beat it one (with non-obvious defense) inflicting the dreaded -200 upon N-S.  Anyway, the Bidding Quiz discusses the respective N-S bidding dilemmas, and, for the time being let’s assume that N-S manage to compete successfully to 3 or 3.

 

Against 3, it seems natural for East to start with the K♠, but that unfortunate lead allows Dummy to score a Spade ruff for Declarer’s 9th trick.  To beat 3 East must find a trump opening lead (or cash a couple of Clubs, then switch to a trump), and this is most unlikely.

 

If South ends up in 3, she should also be down one, but, just like 3, it might well make.  West leads a Spade, won on the board.  Now, Declarer plays a Club, won by West’s Jack.  West shifts to a Heart to stop the Club ruff in Dummy, and East is posed with a big dilemma:

-         if South has the A♣, and West the A, the killing defense is to take the A and play another Heart

-         if South has the A, and West the A♣, the killing defense is to duck the first round of Hearts.

However, if East guesses wrong it will be 100% West’s fault!  Yes, West missed the chance of a really terrific play.  He should win that first Club trick with the A♣!  He can reasonably assume from the play of the Club suit that the K♣ is with East, so the extraordinarily far-sighted squandering of the Ace solves East’s later problem.  One wonders how many Wests in the entire world would find this play at the table!  Not many we suspect, and, sad to relate, not us!  Playing the A♣ in this situation would truly be a thing of great beauty.

 

 

 3

♠ Q

K9643

T7

♣ J8653

 

♠ AKJ64

QJT

984

♣ A9

          North

West             East

          South

♠ 832

852

QJ632

♣ KQ

 

Dlr     South
Vul     E-W 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ T975

A7

AK5

♣ T742

South   West    North   East 

1        1♠        Dbl      2♠

Pass    Pass    3♣       Pass

Pass    Pass

 

South’s hand only has 11 HCP’s and it does not pass the Rule of Twenty, but, conversely, it does have three “quick tricks” and that’s good enough for most players to open the hand.  E-W did well not to push on to the 3-level, that will likely be down a couple of vulnerable tricks.

 

There’s not much to the play in 4♣ which makes 10 easy tricks.

 

 

 4

♠ KT2

Q32

872

♣ J762

 

♠ 765

AKJ654

AJ63

          North

West             East

          South

♠ J3

T8

T

♣AKQT8543

 

Dlr     West
Vul     Both 


 
 
 
 
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♠ AQ984

97

KQ954

♣ 9

West    North   East     South

1        Pass    2♣       Pass

2        Pass    3♣       Pass

3        Pass    4    All Pass

 

A difficult auction for E-W.  We don’t see anyway how they can stay out of game, and it’s probably just a question of whether they go down one in 5♣, or down one in 4.  Just a miserable and depressing hand. Let’s move on.

 

 5

♠ QT3

93

Q53

♣ KQ954

 

♠ 9862

Q7652

T98

♣ 7

          North

West             East

          South

♠ AK754

A4

AK642

♣ J

 

Dlr     North
Vul     N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ J

KJT8

J7

♣ AT8632

West    North   East     South

            Pass    1♠        2♣

3♠        4♣       4♠        Pass

Pass    Pass

 

N-S embarked on some adventurous vulnerable competing, and East must have been tempted to double 4♣, but instead he reasonably went for the 4♠ game.

 

We don’t usually like to make an opening lead of an unsupported Ace, but the risk of blowing a trick is reduced when Partner has raised the suit, and further reduced when we have a 10- or 11-card fit.  So, South leads the A♣ against 4♠, gets her look at Dummy, Partner plays the Nine, and Declarer the Jack.  What next?

 

What does Partner’s Nine mean?  One common agreement in this situation (with Dummy having a singleton in the led suit) is for 3rd hand to give suit preference.  She’ll play a low card to ask for the lower-ranking shift (Diamonds), and a high card to ask for the higher-ranking shift (Hearts).  If she has no preference she plays a middling card.  The Nine looks rather middling to us, though we cannot be absolutely sure … North might have started with K954, for example.  Anyway, if that Nine really is high, there’s no rush to lead a Heart, Declarer’s Hearts aren’t going anywhere.  We cannot continue Clubs, that’s a likely ruff-and-sluff for Declarer.  That leaves a Diamond or a trump, and the safe exit turns out to be a trump.  It won’t be entirely obvious that a trump is the right shift, especially looking at that entryless Dummy.

 

The card gods almost dealt us a delicious Play Problem!  Suppose that North’s Spade holding is K43 and that Declarer holds AQT75.  South gets out with the J♠ at Trick Two, won by Declarer’s Queen.  How do you propose to make this contract?  Easy!  Cash AK, A and lead a low Heart.  South wins but has been stripped of her exit cards.  Whatever she plays gives Dummy an entry for the Spade finesse.  This line also works when South has 3 Diamonds … when in with the K, she can cash the Diamond, but now must give Dummy the vital entry, one way or the other.

 

 

 6

♠ QJT95

63

AQJ8

♣ QJ

 

♠ 43

AJ54

96

♣ T8432

          North

West             East

          South

♠ K62

KQ

K432

♣ A765

 

 Dlr     East
 Vul     E-W 


 
 
 
 
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♠ A87

T9872

T75

♣ K9

West    North   East     South

                        1NT     Pass

Pass    Pass

 

 

Perhaps North should have competed here by showing a Spade one-suiter or a Spade-Diamond two-suiter.  It turns out that 8 tricks are available in either suit.

 

But the play is much more interesting in 1NT!  South leads the T, won by Declarer’s King.  Next comes the A♣ and a low Club won by South’s King.  Now, South cannot profitably attack Spades, and it doesn’t help for the defense to play a Diamond to the Ace, and a Spade through … Declarer ducks the Spades and the defense is held to just 5 tricks.  Can the defense do better?  Oh, yes!  At Trick Two South must jettison the K♣!  Now, it is North who wins the second Club, and she can lead Spades through … even if Declarer guesses, as before, to duck the Spades in an attempt to block the suit, North still has the A entry to finish off the Spades.  Down one!  That K♣ play is so much easier to find looking at all 4 hands, of course.

 

 

 7

♠ JT4

9843

K3

♣ K853



Bidding Quiz (South)
Play Problem # 90 (West)

♠ Q976

QT2

962

♣ J42

          North

West             East

          South

♠ K832

KJ7

A5

♣ AT76

 

Dlr     South
Vul     Both 


 
 
 
 
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♠ A5

A65

QJT874

♣ Q9

South   West    North   East 

1        Pass    1        Dbl

2        Pass    Pass    Dbl

2        2♠        All Pass

 

South’s approach to bidding this hand will vary depending upon whether or not her side is playing Support Doubles and Redoubles.  Please see the Bidding Quiz.

 

Careful play in 2♠ brings home 9 tricks.  To see how, please see Play Problem # 90.

 

 

 8

♠ 976

53

AJ843

♣ T92

 

♠ A83

QT2

T765

♣ A84

          North

West             East

          South

♠ KJT5

J87

K9

♣ KQJ6

 

Dlr     West
Vul     None 


 
 
 
 
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♠ Q42

AK964

Q2

♣ 753

West    North   East     South

Pass    Pass    1♣       1

1NT     Pass    Pass    Pass

 

West’s 1NT is as good as it can be, some might even say too good, what with the 10 HCP’s, two Aces, and two Tens.

 

North leads a Heart, and South does best to duck this trick.  She has no entries outside her suit, and the duck keeps her in touch with Partner’s hand.  Declarer makes 9 tricks if she guesses the Spade suit, only 7 tricks otherwise.  Fishing around for information before tackling the critical suit, Declarer plays K♣, Q♣, and a Club to her Ace.  Now South is known to have started with 5 Hearts and 3 Clubs.  Who has the A?  North.  How do we know?  Well, surely South would have cleared the Hearts right away if she had a sure-fire entry.  North did not open a Weak 2, so the odds are that South has at least two Diamonds.  Where has all this fine detective work got us?  Not very far!  Despite all the deductive reasoning, there is plenty of room in both hands for the Q♠, so happy guessing!

 

 

 9

♠ QJT754

AT

♣ AT754

 

♠ AK

QJ9632

J8543

          North

West             East

          South

♠ 862

A8

K972

♣ KQ62

 

Dlr     North
Vul     E-W 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 93

KT754

Q6

♣ J983

West    North   East     South

            1♠        Pass    1NT

2        2♠        3        Pass

4        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

South showed super-human restraint in not doubling 4, which was just as well because the contract turns out to be cold!  Here is a possible line of play:

            Q♠ opening lead, won by Declarer

            Heart to the Ace

            Heart Eight overtaken by the Nine (necessary play!)

            Q won by South’s King

            Club, ruffed by Declarer

            Cash J

            Diamond to North’s Ace

            A♣, ruffed by Declarer’s last trump

Now, South has the last outstanding trump, but Declarer has Diamond winners with both black suits under control.  Note the importance of overtaking the Heart Eight.  If Declarer neglects to do this, he’ll be short of entries back to his hand … he’ll have to use up the K♠, and will eventually lose control of the hand.

 

 

 10

♠ T84

Q2

QT932

♣ Q65




Bidding Quiz (North)

♠ K2

AJ753

J4

♣ KT83

          North

West             East

          South

♠ J973

T64

5

♣ J9742

 
Dlr     East
Vul     Both 


 
 
 
 
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♠ AQ65

K98

AK876

♣ A

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    1

1        2        Pass    3NT

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

Anyone for a 2NT opening with the South hand?  We much prefer 1 ourselves, those 2NT openers are death to minor suit slams, and this hand has a lot of potential in that regard.  As for North, she might have tried a preemptive 3, please see the Bidding Quiz.  But whether or not South opens 1 or 2NT, she’ll surely end up declaring 3NT.

 

Against 3NT, West leads a Heart, won by Dummy’s Queen.  Now, if Declarer places the black Kings with West in view of his vulnerable overcall, she can have a lot of fun with this hand.  At Trick Two she crosses to the A♣, then cashes all the Diamonds.  What are West’s last 6 Cards?  Two Spades, of course.  But whether he keeps two Hearts and two Clubs, or 3 Hearts and the K♣, Declarer can cash A♠ and play a low Spade.  The King comes tumbling down and that’s Declarer’s 9th trick.  And now West is end-played, and that’s her 10th trick!

 

Is this line of play altogether too fanciful?  Not really, it only requires that West has the missing black Kings, and we would say that this is more likely on the bidding than East having the K♠.  Was it not rather lucky that West started with just two Spades?  Actually, that wasn’t necessary, if she had started with, say, Kxx she would have been squeezed out of a Spade on the run of the Diamonds.

 

 

 11

♠ AKQ986

T632

J72




Bidding Quiz (North)

♠ J75

984

K43

♣ KT84

          North

West             East

          South

♠ 43

AK75

AQ95

♣ A75

 
Dlr     South
Vul     None 


 
 
 
 
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♠ T2

QJ

T86

♣ QJ9632

South   West    North   East 

Pass    Pass    3♠        Dbl

Pass    4♣       Pass    Pass

Pass

 

North’s 3♠ bid (instead of the more mundane 2♠) was a typical bid-‘em-up 3rd seat effort.  West had an unappetizing choice after Partner’s Double, and may have guessed to make a penalty Pass.  As for South, she must have thought it was Christmas come early when 4♣ was passed around to her.  We would not have doubled in this situation either, there’s no guarantee that the opponents don’t have a better spot.

 

4♣ scores a surprising number of tricks.  North leads Spades, Dummy ruffing the 3rd round of the suit.  South can overruff or not, it makes no difference.  Declarer will cash all his red suit winners, and South will be end-played in trumps.  She’ll score just two trump tricks to go with Partner’s two Spades, and that will be down just one trick.

 

 12

♠ T65

A98

Q9654

♣ 54


 

Bidding Quiz (West)

Bidding Quiz (East)

♠ K982

532

A873

♣ AJ

          North

West             East

          South

♠ AQJ

KJ764

J2

♣ KQ8

 
Dlr     West
Vul     N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 743

QT

KT

♣ T97632

West    North   East     South

1        Pass    1        Pass

1♠        Pass    2♣       Pass

2        Pass    3        Pass

3NT     Pass    4♣       Pass

4        Pass    4    All Pass

 

After 1♠, East has a good hand but no clear direction.  He’s not sure whether they belong in Hearts or No Trump, and his hand is so good that slam is also a consideration.  Yes, an ideal situation in which to wheel out a 2♣ Fourth Suit Forcing bid.  West had a close choice between supporting Hearts on 3 small, or rebidding 2NT.  East’s 3 was forcing and keeping slam options open, 3NT suggested an alternative contract, and East made one more slam try with 4♣ before settling for 4.

 

4 turns out to be a better contract than 3NT.  In 4, Declarer has 10 tricks, and 11 if the defense does not shift to a Diamond in time.  3NT makes just 9 tricks if the defense leads a Diamond, won by South’s Ten … Declarer ducks twice, and later loses two Hearts, ending up with a total of 9 tricks.  However, suppose that North guesses to lead a Club.  Declarer wins in his hand, loses to the Q, and now South must find the dangerous-looking K shift (it’s Declarer’s first bid suit) … failure to do so and it’s 11 tricks for Declarer and a top board for E-W.

 

 

 13

♠ KJT

KQT86

QJ93

♣ J




Bidding Quiz (West)

♠ 5

AJ75

AK652

♣ AK8

          North

West             East

          South

♠ A8764

94

7

♣ T9543

 
Dlr     North
Vul     Both 


 
 
 
 
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♠ Q932

32

T84

♣ Q762

West    North   East     South

            1        Pass    Pass

Pass

 

 

That was a pretty bold Pass by West, gambling that his side cannot make game and that there will be at least a couple of vulnerable undertricks for Declarer.  For more on this, please see the Bidding Quiz.

 

The play in 1 will be quite painful for North:

            Diamond lead to the King

            Cash A, followed by a Diamond ruff

            Club to the King, and another Diamond ruff

            Club run around and ruffed by Declarer

            K to the Ace

            Spade to the Ace, and a Spade ruff

            K♣ ruffed by Declarer

At this point, the defense has scored 8 tricks and still has the J to come.  Down four!

 

 

 14

♠ AT62

AQJT94

T

♣ A9




Bidding Quiz (North)

♠ Q8

K863

KJ93

♣ KJ3

          North

West             East

          South

♠ J73

72

Q642

♣ Q542

 

Dlr     East
Vul     None 


 
 
 
 
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♠ K954

5

A875

♣ T876

West    North   East     South

1        Dbl      Pass    1♠

Pass    3♠        Pass    4♠

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

The modern style is for overcalls to have a slightly higher upper limit than in days of yore.  Nowadays most experts are apt to overcall on hands with as many as 18 HCP’s, perhaps even a bit more under some circumstances.  Is this a lead-in for us to suggest a 1 overcall by North, with his paltry 15 HCP’s?  Actually, no!  We like Double here, keeping the Spade suit in the picture … if South bids 2♣, we can bid 2, showing a strong hand with Hearts.  Normally, this sequence would show a tad more in the way of HCP’s, perhaps, but the hand does have excellent playing strength.

 

Against 4♠, West will perhaps lead a low Club or a low Diamond, and Declarer will go after the Heart suit early in the play.  Let’s assume a low Club lead … here’s how Declarer makes 11 tricks:

            Club lead, ducked in Dummy just for the heck of it, won by East’s Queen

            Another Club, won by Dummy’s Ace

            Diamond to the Ace

            Heart finesse, followed by a Heart ruff

            Spade to the Ace, and another Heart ruff

            Cash K♠

            Ruff a Diamond

            Run the Hearts, letting West ruff in at his leisure.

Note that it is essential to play on Hearts immediately, before trumps are drawn, otherwise Declarer will not have enough entries back to Dummy to enjoy the established Hearts.

 

Dr Goodlead found the opening lead of the Heart Eight by the way.  An interesting (but also dangerous) gambit, made on the premise that the bidding has placed most of the high-card strength with North.  This tricky lead may well cause Declarer to play for a ruffing Heart finesse instead.

 

 

 15

♠ AQT

AQT6

T4

♣ 8732




Bidding Quiz (North)

♠ J3

932

A932

♣ JT96

          North

West             East

          South

♠ K8752

KJ5

Q5

♣ K54

 

Dlr     South
Vul     N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 964

874

KJ876

♣ AQ

South   West    North   East 

Pass    Pass    1        1♠

2♣       Pass    2        Pass

Pass    Pass

 

North decided to open his 4-card Heart suit in third seat, primarily for the purpose of lead direction.  South’s 2♣ bid was the Drury convention, showing a good (passed) hand and Heart support, and inquiring whether Partner’s 3rd seat opening was light or not.  In the featured auction, the 2 response said “Not really!”  This convention is almost universal in the United States, but don’t try to use it on your next vacation in London … it’s banned there, as it is considered to be a “psychic control”.  But, when legal it’s a most useful convention, and the issue on this auction is “Do you play Drury in competition?” … the relevant auctions are when they overcall a Spade, and when they make a take-out Double of 1 or 1♠.  Something that needs to be agreed in your partnerships.

 

The play in 2 is rather difficult to predict but it looks as if Declarer can scramble 8 tricks in various ways.

 

 

 16

♠ 862

Q98

JT83

♣ Q63


 

Bidding Quiz (West)

Play Problem # 91 (East)

♠ KJ73

A72

A95

♣ 972

          North

West             East

          South

♠ AQT

KT3

Q642

♣ AJ8

 

Dlr     West
Vul     E-W 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 954

J654

K7

♣ KT54

West    North   East     South

Pass    Pass    1NT     Pass

2♣       Pass    2        Pass

3NT     Pass    Pass    Pass

 

Some players don’t bother with Stayman when they have a square distribution on the grounds that there hand will produce no ruffs.  True, but maybe it is Opener’s hand that can produce a ruff or two.  We normally do use Stayman in this situation, but there is a useful device available for those who have a morbid fear of playing in 4 of a major with square mirror distributions.  Please see the Bidding Quiz.

 

South will probably lead a Club against 3NT, which turns out to be the best lead for the defense.  This is a pretty hand, please see Play Problem # 91 for how things might develop.

 

 

 17

♠ J654

K9653

J

♣ Q73




Bidding Quiz (West)

♠ 8732

AK8763

♣ 952

          North

West             East

          South

♠ AQ9

AQT42

T952

♣ J


Dlr     North   
Vul     None 


 
 
 
 
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♠ KT

J87

Q4

♣ AKT864

West    North   East     South

            Pass    1        2♣

Dbl      3♣       Pass    Pass

3        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

In the play of 3, Declarer can wrap up 11 tricks if he can only avoid 2 Spade losers.  Can he?  North will lead a Club, won by South, who will probably continue the suit for want of better.  This is ruffed on the board.  Now, Declarer will try to ruff out the K, hoping that South started with Kxx (not a bad ploy, considering the bidding).  So A, then ruff a Heart, cash a high Diamond, ruff a Club, ruff a Heart, and draw the last trump.  The K did not come down, of course, so now Declarer must play on Spades.  He should lead a Spade to the Ace, ruff another Heart, and then must make his Spade guess.

 

By now, South is known to have started with 2-3-2-6 distribution, and all that Declarer has to do is to decide which of the following N-S layouts is more consistent with the bidding:

            North               South                                       North               South

            ♠ J654             ♠ KT                                       ♠ K654            ♠ JT

            K9653          J87                                      K9653          J87

            J                   Q4                                        J                   Q4

            ♣ Q73             ♣ AKT864                              ♣ Q73             ♣ AKT864

Given that N-S are not vulnerable we’d say that both layouts are consistent with the bidding.  Any other clues?  Yes!  We have a rather unusual example of the Principle of Restricted Choice.  South played the Ten on the first round of Spades, but, if she had been dealt the JT of Spades she might well have played the Jack, whereas, if she had been dealt KT she would have had a “restricted” choice, she would have to play the Ten.  So, we’d finesse the Nine.  This forces the King and the crowd goes wild!

 

 

 18

♠ QJ9864

AK

8

♣ T642


 

Bidding Quiz (South)

Bidding Quiz (West)

♠ T5

Q982

KQT972

♣ 8

          North

West             East

          South

♠ A72

76

A643

♣ AQ95

 

Dlr       East
Vul      N-S 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ K3

JT543

J5

♣ KJ73

West    North   East     South

                        1♣       Pass

1        1♠        2        2♠

3        3♠        Pass    Pass

Pass

 

 

Advocates of the Law of Total Tricks will cringe at that 2♠ bid with just two-card support.  They’ll say that it may cause North to over-estimate the number of trumps her side has, and consequently she is likely to over-compete.  They have a point, of course.

 

One of the good things about over-competing is that sometimes the opponents under-defend.  The winning defense against 3♠ is virtually impossible to find … A♣, ruff a Club, back to the A, ruff another Club, and now the A♠ is still to come as the setting trick.  On other defenses 9 tricks are made.

 

Yes, E-W should have competed to 4, and we’d blame West for not doing so.  He doesn’t have much in the way of defense, he has an extra trump, nice distribution, and he’s non-vulnerable.  Forgive us when we respectfully suggest that passing out 3♠ was quite feeble.

 

 

 19

♠ T97

AKT962

6

♣ J82




Bidding Quiz (West)

♠ K642

Q75

J74

♣ K97

          North

West             East

          South

♠ AQJ

4

T98

♣ AQ6543

 

Dlr     South
Vul     E-W 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 853

J83

AKQ532

♣ T

South   West    North   East 

2        Pass    Pass    3♣

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

 

We don’t know about you, but we would open 3 with that South hand.  Look at the vulnerability!  3 is the winner, giving E-W nothing but losing options:

-         They can pass it out, and if they are at the top of their defense game, they’ll nip it a trick but still get a bad score.

-         East can compete to 4♣ but that’s too high and it could get even worse if West, not unreasonably, takes a call over 4♣.

 

In the featured auction, 2 made things altogether too simple for E-W.  East came in with a 3♣ call, and West didn’t have quite enough to participate in the proceedings, and they stayed low in a makeable contract.  At this vulnerability it really does pay to exert a little extra pressure!

 

If N-S let E-W buy it in 3♣ it will be 9 easy tricks.  If N-S play it in 3 things are way more interesting.  There is a Heart guess to be made, of course, and there is also the opportunity for a defensive coup.  See how E-W might conjure up a trump trick … they’ll cash one round of Clubs, and three rounds of Spades, ending in the West hand … now the 13th Spade is led, East ruffs, and West’s J is now promoted … yes, it’s the so-called upper-cut.

 

Singleton Theory Addendum:

Let’s assume that South is playing in some number of Diamonds, probably 3 of them, and that you, as Declarer, have to guess the Heart suit.  We all know about that “Eight ever, Nine never” thing when it comes to ferreting out a missing Queen.  Will you scientifically play for the drop?  Or, mystically, take the finesse?  Scientists will play for the drop, that’s what the odds dictate in this situation, there is no clear reason in the bidding or the play to do otherwise.  But there is also this theory which says that if we have a singleton then probably so do they.  It may not be mathematically sound, but a Mystic doesn’t care about that, and on this hand she will finesse the Heart (she’ll cash a high one first to cater for a singleton Queen with East).  Bingo!  Score up another triumph for the Mystics, this battle has been going on for several weeks, and the running score is now:

            Mystics 3         Scientists 1

 

 

 20

♠ J952

J6

Q982

♣ KJ8




Bidding Quiz (South)

♠ QT

954

KJ64

♣ T742

          North

West             East

          South

♠ A8743

Q73

T75

♣ A9

 
Dlr     West
Vul     Both 


 
 
 
 
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♠ K6

AKT82

A3

♣ Q653

West    North   East     South

Pass    Pass    1♠        Dbl

Pass    1NT     Pass    2NT

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

An awkward hand for South.  She might reasonably have bid Double, 2 or 1NT, please see the Bidding Quiz.

 

Either way, it looks as if N-S might end up in a No Trump contract, from one side or the other.  It’s an extremely N-S friendly hand, mucho tricks can be made thanks to the obliging Heart situation.  No shame for not getting to game, just bad luck that the layout is so benevolent!  When we stay low we pray for bad breaks but here we don’t get them!

 

 

 21

♠ A7632

A8

A8

♣ JT82

 

♠ K94

K2

K765

♣ 9764

          North

West             East

          South

♠ JT

QJ763

JT32

♣ KQ

 

Dlr     North
Vul     N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ Q85

T954

Q94

♣ A53

West    North   East     South

            1♠        Pass    2♠

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

 

A less than exciting deal, 2♠ should stagger home when Declarer plays the Club suit correctly (lead the Jack, and when it’s covered win the Ace and finesse the Eight on the way back).

 

 

 22

♠ J53

KT74

K65

♣ A54

 

♠ Q642

A6

A43

♣ QJ82

          North

West             East

          South

♠ A87

Q83

QJ8

♣ K973

 

Dlr     East
Vul     E-W 


 
 
 
 
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♠ KT9

J952

T972

♣ T6

West    North   East     South

                        1♣       Pass

1♠        Pass    1NT     Pass

3NT     Pass    Pass    Pass

 

East might well have passed that square 12-count.  Once he has opened the hand, E-W will inevitably get to the rather poor 3NT contract.  We wish that the contract were destined to go down, allowing us to decry that opening bid and give a little lecture about the importance of downgrading one’s hand when one has square distribution, no Tens, and more Queens than Aces.  But, sadly, 3NT makes, so we’ll have to save that one for another day.  Virtue goes unrewarded on this one.

 

South will lead a red suit (let’s say a Heart, but it doesn’t matter which), won by North’s King, and the suit will be continued, won in Dummy.  Next, the A♣ is knocked out, and another Heart comes back.  Now, thanks to the highly fortunate Spade situation, Declarer is able to score 3 Spades, 2 Hearts, 1 Diamond and 3 Clubs.

 

 

 23

♠ QJ98

KQ9

76

♣ KJ93

 

♠ AK432

A74

T93

♣ T4

          North

West             East

          South

♠ 85

865

AQJ4

♣ Q765

 

Dlr     South
Vul     Both 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ T7

JT32

K852

♣ A82

South   West    North   East 

Pass    1♠        Pass    1NT

Pass    2        Pass    Pass

Dbl      Pass    2        Pass

Pass    Pass

 

West, with 3 quick tricks, chose to open his shapeless 11-count, as would we.  East’s 1NT was forcing, and West was obliged to improvise that 2 bid.  Those were two most fortuitous Passes by East, saving his side from disaster.

 

2 is good for 8 tricks, but, if East pushes on to 3 (as well he might) he’ll do well to score 7 tricks and that will be an ugly -200.

 

System Note:

In a 2/1 framework, 1NT is usually “forcing”, but another option is for it to be “semi-forcing”.  In the latter method, Opener is allowed to pass whenever he is minimum with 5-3-3-2 shape.  The “semi-forcing” approach has one obvious advantage, namely that it allows 1NT to be the final contract when Opener is weak.  On the other hand, it has the disadvantage that 5-3 Spade fits will occasionally get missed.  Either method is quite playable.

 

 

 24

♠ KT982

K52

K82

♣ 84




Play Problem # 92 (West)

♠ AQJ53

A964

♣ AKT2

          North

West             East

          South

♠ 764

AJT9

7

♣ Q9765

 

Dlr     West
Vul     None 


 
 
 
 
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Q87643

QJT53

♣ J3

West    North   East     South

1♠        Pass    2♠        Pass

4♠        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

 

A simple auction.  North leads a Heart, Dummy goes down, and Declarer wonders how they missed the slam.  He wins the Ace, leads a trump, and South shows out!  Now Declarer is wondering if he can even make game!  Please see Play Problem # 92 for this one.

 

 

 25

♠ AQ

9652

K86

♣ Q652

 

♠ J87

Q87

Q9532

♣ K4

          North

West             East

          South

♠ K543

AKT43

T

♣ 983

 

Dlr     North
Vul     E-W 


 
 
 
 
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♠ T962

J

AJ74

♣ AJT7

West    North   East     South

            Pass    Pass    1♣

Pass    1        Pass    1♠

Pass    3♣       All Pass

 

North’s jump to 3♣ was invitational, of course.  With both black Kings off-side it looks as if 3♣ will be down a trick with normal play.

 

 

 26

♠ 85

AJ85

K743

♣ K95

 

♠ KT7

KQ32

AJ9

♣ J82

          North

West             East

          South

♠ AJ3

T6

Q82

♣ AT763

 

Dlr     East
Vul     Both 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ Q9642

974

T65

♣ Q4

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    Pass

1♣       Pass    2♣       Pass

2NT     Pass    3NT  All Pass 

 

East’s 2♣ was the so-called “Inverted Minor” convention, whereby 2♣ shows values and 3♣ is preemptive.  As East is a passed hand, the 2♣ bid shows no more than a limit raise, and it also denies a 4-card major.  West almost had enough to bid 3NT directly over 2♣, and East saved the day by bidding 3NT himself, no doubt influenced by the Aces, the Tens, and the 5-card suit.  But it’s easy to see some E-W pairs missing game on this one.

 

North leads a low Heart, and Declarer should call for the Ten from Dummy.  This holds, South playing the Four and Declarer the Three.  At this point in the proceedings, North knows almost for certain that South started life with precisely 9xx of Hearts.  How so?  The logic is as follows:

-         South is supposed to give count in this situation … after all, if she cannot beat Dummy’s Ten, her attitude is already known!  A good rule of thumb is that, if Dummy wins with the Queen or a lower card, it’s a count situation.  If Dummy wins with the Ace we would normally give attitude, encouraging if we held the King or Queen.  And if Dummy wins with the King, we encourage if we have the Queen.

-         When we signal we always make the signal as clear as is safely possible.  When South played the Four was she showing an odd number from 974?  Or an even number from 9742?  Clearly it’s the odd number, because, with 9742 South can spare the Seven in order to make the signal unambiguous.

 

The best way of picking up the Club suit for one loser is to run the Jack, and if it is covered by North to run the 8 on the second round.  This works out fine on the actual hand, but first Declarer must return to his hand.  The easy route to 10 tricks is to finesse the Spade Ten at Trick Two, play the Clubs as described, scoring 3 Spades, 2 Hearts, a Diamond and 4 Clubs.  However, it’s not obvious that this line is the best, and Declarer might well cross to the K♠ instead, holding himself to 9 tricks.

 

 

 27

♠ 6

AQT92

754

♣ A962




Bidding Quiz (South)

♠ KQJ543

K85

83

♣ J7

          North

West             East

          South

♠ 72

76

KQJ92

♣ T853

 

Dlr     South
Vul     None 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ AT98

J43

AT6

♣ KQ4

South   West    North   East 

1♣       1♠        2        Pass

3NT     Pass    Pass    Pass

 

 

A “Two Over One” in competition shows decent values but it is not game-forcing.  Therefore, South should be aware that North might pass a rebid of 2NT or 3.  The first question is whether South should raise Hearts or bid No Trump … and the second question is “How many?” to bid.  We like South’s actual choice (look at those lovely Spade fillers!), please see the Bidding Quiz.

 

West leads the K♠, ducked by Declarer.  If West continues with another high Spade, life is easy for Declarer … she’ll win the second round, pick up the Heart suit, establish a second Spade by force, and score 11 tricks.  However, suppose that, at Trick Two, West finds the fiendish shift of a Diamond.  Declarer ducks this also, and now it doesn’t matter whether East continues Diamonds or reverts to Spades … either way, Declarer will win Trick Three, run the Hearts, and eventually East will be squeezed in the minors!  11 tricks the exotic way!

 

Note for Squeeze Enthusiasts:

Can Declarer score 11 tricks if West finds the highly improbable Diamond lead?  Yes!  Diamond lead ducked, Diamond continuation won by the Ace.  Now 5 rounds of Hearts and East must come down to 6 cards.  He must keep 4 Clubs and a high Diamond, so that leaves room for just one Spade.  Now Declarer cashes the A♠, and the KQ♣, and throws East in with a Diamond to lead a Club.

 

 

 28

♠ JT954

J753

3

♣ KT8

 

♠ K32

AK94

K875

♣ Q2

          North

West             East

          South

♠ Q87

Q8

AQJ962

♣ J6

 
Dlr     West
Vul     N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ A6

T82

T4

♣ A97543

West    North   East     South

1NT     Pass    3NT     Pass

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

 

The obvious auction to a terrible contract.  The defense has 7 cashing tricks, but will they get them?  North has an obvious J♠ lead, and Declarer must make the play that is most likely to avert a Club switch.  Definitely not the Queen from Dummy, that would be a most suspicious-looking play.  It would be better to play low and hope that South routinely ducks if she has the A♠.  Anyway, if N-S neglect to take their 7 tricks, Declarer will take his 10 tricks, and might even pseudo-squeeze North out of a Heart for 11 tricks.

 

 

 29

♠ JT32

KQT97

T5

♣ AQ

 

♠ A

J62

K9873

♣ J873

          North

West             East

          South

♠ KQ64

A8543

64

♣ 92

 
 
Dlr     North
 Vul     Both 


 
 
 
 
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♠ 9875

AQJ2

♣ KT654

West    North   East     South

            1        Pass    1♠

Pass    2♠        Pass    4♠

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

South’s aggressive (but reasonable) bidding comes unstuck when trumps are 4-1, and the Diamond King is offside.  But the contract has practical chances … West might find the unfortunate lead of a low Diamond … or Declarer might lead the J♠ from the board, covered by East’s Queen!

 

 

 30

♠ AK94

53

KJT6543

 

♠ T5

K6

A82

♣ AK8542

          North

West             East

          South

♠ Q873

QJ94

Q

♣ QT93

 

Dlr     East
Vul     None 

 


 
 
 
 
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♠ J62

AT872

97

♣ J76

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    Pass

1♣       1        Dbl      1

2♣       2        3♣       Pass

Pass    3        4♣     All Pass

 

Perhaps North might have bid Diamonds yet again!  4♣ turns out to be an easy make, while 4 is likely to go down one in practice, when Declarer misguesses the trump suit.

 

 

 31

♠ KQ98

K75

A873

♣ A5

 

♠ T754

Q

KQ65

♣ J876

          North

West             East

          South

♠ 63

AT632

T94

♣ QT9

 

Dlr     South
Vul     N-S 


 
 
 
 
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♠ AJ2

J984

J2

♣ K432

South   West    North   East 

Pass    Pass    1NT     Pass

2♣       Pass    2♠        Pass

3NT     Pass    Pass    Pass

 

The tail-end of this week’s hands has produced a whole series of routine auctions, and here’s another.

 

Against 3NT, the T looks like a nice safe lead, covered by the Jack, Queen and Ace.  This proliferation of honors on that first trick promotes Declarer’s mighty 8 into a second stopper in the suit, but the second trick is only possible if the defense persists with the suit, it cannot be established by Declarer playing the suit.  Declarer has just 7 tricks, with Hearts being the only prospect for more.  So, at Trick Two, Declarer crosses to Dummy on a Spade, leads a low Heart, and, lo and behold, the Queen appears from West.  Now, now fewer than 3 Hearts are available, and 10 tricks in all.  With that particular holding, such good fortune happens just 2.83% of the time!

 

 32

♠ J76

65

K865

♣ KT94

 

♠ AQ32

AT7

AT42

♣ 85

          North

West             East

          South

♠ T985

KQ982

73

♣ AQ

 

Dlr     West
Vul     E-W 


 
 
 
 
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♠ K4

J43

QJ9

♣ J7632

West    North   East     South

1        Pass    1        Pass

1♠        Pass    3♠        Pass

4♠        Pass    Pass    Pass

                                                        

East’s 3♠ was invitational, of course, and West, with those lovely Aces and Tens, was full value for his acceptance.  All roads lead to 11 tricks.

 

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