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Wednesday Post Mortem 22nd August, 2012
Analysis by Brian Gunnell Hand Record
West North East South 1NT Pass 3NT All Pass
Looking at that nice collection, South might entertain thoughts of slam opposite a perfect 1NT opening. But slam looks like a long shot, and matchpoints is nothing if not a practical game, so many Souths will simply boot out 3NT here, giving the opponents the minimum of information.
As it happens, 6♦ is a fine contract, though it will fail on an initial Heart lead. The good news for the slam bidders is that West may well be on opening lead, and may not give Partner his ruff.
Meanwhile, most of the N-S pairs will be toiling away in a 3NT contract. As East, what is your choice of opening lead? - A Spade? Against 1NT 3NT auctions there is a predisposition to lead a major suit (due to South’s failure to use Stayman). If East buys into that logic and leads a Spade, Declarer will count 10 tricks and will set up an 11th at Trick 2 by leading a Heart towards Dummy. East’s play of the Jack will be duly noted and West will win the trick. A Spade comes back, the A♣ and the Diamonds are cashed, and Declarer must decide at Trick 12 whether or not to take that greedy Heart finesse for 12 tricks (risking only 10 if it fails). - A Club? If East spurns the major and leads his best suit instead, Declarer holds up, and wins the second Club. Declarer rattles off the Diamonds, hoping that the defense is under pressure (real or imagined). East must find 6 pitches, no less, and may be concerned that Declarer has AKx in Spades. If that were the case, he would need to hold on to T9x in Spades, meaning that he must part with 3 Clubs. With only one enemy Club outstanding, now it is safe to play on Hearts next, setting up the 11th trick.
West North East South Pass 1♣ Dbl 2♣ 3♣ Pass 3♥ All Pass - West’s Double is minimum, but White vs Red, with both majors, who could resist? - North concludes that her hand is too good for a preemptive 3♣, so she responds 2♣ only (ready to bid 3♣ later, if the auction permits). - East’s 3♣ cue-bid typically shows both majors and game-invitational values (yes, another slight overbid).
With West declaring 3♥, suppose that North leads the A♣ and continues a Club. In order to make 9 tricks Declarer must pick up both major suit Queens. Will he?
With the A♣ out of the way there are 16 HCP’s unaccounted for. East surely has the lion’s share, but he probably does not have all of them, unless his hand is unbalanced. That deduction comes from the assumption that he would have opened 1NT with a balanced 15-17. So, if East is balanced, then we’d expect West to hold one of the major Queens or else a Diamond card, and in any event we don’t expect West to hold two of those cards. The best way forward, after winning the K♣, is to exit a Diamond. The best defense now cash their Diamonds, and concede a ruff and sluff in Clubs. That ruff does not help Declarer, he must still guess the Spades, but by now the HCP situation will have become clear.
During the cashing of the Diamonds, the K♦ will emerge from the West hand, and the Diamonds will be known to be 4-3. So, it seems clear enough to finesse against East for both missing Queens. This play is not 100% though, East might have started with 4=1=3=5 shape and 11 HCP’s, for example. But, if that is the case then E-W are cold for 10 tricks in Clubs, so 3♥ down one will not be the end of the world.
Keys for Success - Exiting a Diamond to find out more about the missing HCP’s
West North East South Pass 1♠ Pass 1NT Pass 2♦ Pass 2♠ All Pass
Although N-S have slightly more than their fair share of the HCP’s they have no convenient way of getting into the auction. But that is just as well, if N-S make the mistake of bidding up to 3♣, East is sure to double lustily and that will be -300 for N-S.
2♠ is not much of a contract either, especially if, as likely, North leads a Heart: Three Hearts are cashed On the 4th Heart, Declarer pitches a Diamond, North ruffs Spade won by Declarer Two more Spades are cashed Club won by North’s Ace Now Declarer’s Diamond loser goes on the K♣, but the defense still has a trump to come, and that is down one.
West North
East South - South’s 2♣ is an Inverted Raise, showing at least game-invitational values and no 4-card major. - North’s 2NT shows a minimum balanced hand (obviously, in the N-S methods, Opener does not bid stoppers along the way, reasoning that life is too short and, anyway, why give the defenders a road map?). - South’s 4NT is a natural slam invitation (perhaps N-S use 4♦, aka Minorwood, if they want to ask about Key Cards). - Having already declared a minimum hand, North feels that she had enough extras to go to slam (5-card suit, good Club fillers).
Slam requires no more than a little luck in Clubs. The percentage play is to finesse twice, but that becomes moot when West pops up with the King on the first round. 12 tricks.
West North East South Pass Pass 1NT Pass 2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass 2NT Pass 4♥ All Pass
If South declares 4♥, West might well lead a Spade. Now the percentage Heart play is low to the Queen and finesse the Ten, after which Declarer is on course for 11 tricks and a good board. One of Dummy’s Diamonds will go on the fourth round of Spades and the other on the K♣ when the Ace is obligingly with East.
If South declares 3NT, West is unlikely to find the killing Club lead, and will probably lead a Spade instead. Now suppose that Declarer is clever or lucky enough to guess the location of the J♥. When East wins the A♥, he can make Declarer very nervous by shifting to the J♣, but Declarer rises hopefully with her King and that is 11 tricks. East does better not to shift to a Club, in which case Declarer heaves a huge sigh of relief and grabs her 10 top tricks while she still can. She never does score her K♣ and ends up with a moderate board.
West North East South Pass 1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass 2NT Pass 3NT All Pass
Against 3NT, it seems normal enough for West to lead the J♥, which is won by Declarer. Now what? - The safe way to play the contract is to duck a Diamond on the first round. Making 10 tricks, assuming that the defense shifts to Spades. - The fast and loose approach is to play the Diamonds from the top, raking in 12 tricks, as it happens. - An adjunct to the fast and loose play is that Declarer might notice that East plays a Diamond honor on the first round. So, invoking the Principle of Restricted Choice, she finesses on the second round and goes down a couple.
West North East South 1♥ 1♠ 2♣ ??
East has 4-card Spade support, and a hand that just about qualifies as game-invitational. In competitive auctions, the standard prescription for such a hand is to cue-bid the enemy suit. But here there are two cue-bids available, and one way to take advantage of that is: - The cheaper cue-bid shows 3-card support - The expensive cue-bid shows 4-card support.
So, East bids 3♣ (that being more expensive than 2♥), and we suppose that West will bid the Spade game, based on his good trumps and Club singleton.
Against 4♠, North can beat the contract by cashing the A♦, crossing to South’s A♣, and getting a ruff. The defense gets a Heart trick later and that’s down one. But North is more likely to lead a Heart and now Declarer coasts home to 10 tricks.
West North East South 1♠ Pass 2♠ Dbl 3♠ All Pass
In this situation, West’s 3♠ is usually not played as a game try, it is purely obstructive. West knows that he’ll compete to 3♠ sooner or later with that lovely distribution, so he chooses to do so immediately in order to make it harder for the opponents to get together. If West had wanted to make a game try he could have bid a new suit or redoubled.
Against 3♠ North might well lead a low Heart. Declarer wins, plays the Q♠ to North’s Ace, loses a Heart, ruffs a Heart, crosses to the K♠, and runs the J♣. All’s well, and Declarer loses a trick in each suit for +140
West North East South Pass Pass 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 2NT Pass 3♥ Pass 3♠ Pass 3NT Pass 4♠ All Pass - 2♦ is waiting. - North concludes that slam is unlikely and simply offers Partner a choice between 3NT and 4♠.
Against 4♠, suppose that West starts out safely with the Q♥. Declarer wins that, cashes A♠, K♠, Q♠, and then leads a Club, ducked by West and won in Dummy. The last trump is drawn and a Club ducked around to West’s Ace. Now, Declarer can untangle 12 lucky tricks.
An (unappealing) opening lead of a Diamond holds Declarer to 11 tricks.
West North East South 2♥ Pass Pass 2♠ All Pass
Against 2♠, East has a miserable choice of opening leads. Let’s say that he chooses a low Diamond, won by Declarer. With nothing better to do, Declarer exits with a Diamond, won by West. Now the A♥ and a Heart to the King, and a Diamond is cashed. At this point, the best that the defense can do is cash the A♠, and play a Heart which is ruffed and overruffed. Declarer has avoided his second trump loser but still has a Club to lose. Down one.
West North East South 1♣ 1NT Pass 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 2♥ All Pass
Opposite a 1NT overcall, most pairs play “systems on”, which is to say that the bidding follow-up is the same as opposite a 1NT opening bid. That being so, East decides to get to a major suit contract via a Garbage Stayman sequence. His 2♥ announces a weak hand with both majors, and E-W stumble into their best fit. The play might go: K♦ opening lead, won by Dummy Club to the Queen and South’s Ace Diamond to North’s Queen Low Diamond, ruffed and overruffed Spade to North’s Ace Another Diamond ruffed and overruffed That’s 5 tricks for the defense, but Declarer could have done a trick better. How? By ducking the opening Diamond lead, a play which prevents South from scoring a second trump trick.
West North East South Pass 1NT 3♠ Dbl Pass 3NT All Pass
After Partner has opened one of a suit, and when the opponent overcalls, it’s customary to play Negative Doubles up to a certain level, such as 3♠ or 4♥. However, when Partner opens 1NT and the opponent overcalls, some pairs play Negative Doubles only at the three-level, with doubles at the two-level being used for other purposes (value-showing or penalty).
3NT is a touch-and-go affair. Let’s say that West leads a low Spade (he probably shouldn’t, particularly at matchpoints, this lead is likely to blow a trick and the suit is unlikely to come in). After the helpful low Spade lead, Declarer can count 8 tricks, with a possible 9th in Hearts or Clubs, perhaps even Diamonds. The percentage play in Clubs is to finesse the Nine on the first round, playing West to have a doubleton honor or both honors or for the suit to be 3-3. However, the bidding suggests that West is unlikely to be the hand that is short in Clubs, so Declarer might try ducking a Diamond at Trick 2. East’s Nine wins that trick and the K♠ is returned, won by Declarer’s Ace. Now a Diamond is ducked again, won by West this time. Back comes a Heart won by Declarer’s Ace. When the Diamonds break, we arrive in this end-position: Declarer ♠ T5 ♥ K7 ♦ ♣ A94 West East ♠ ♠ Q743 ♥ J54 ♥ T3 ♦ ♦ ♣ QJ87 ♣ 5 Dummy ♠ ♥ Q98 ♦ 7 ♣ KT6 By now, Declarer is assured of 9 tricks, and when the 13th Diamond is cashed West must pitch a Club. The Hearts are cashed and West is thrown in with a Heart. West is end-played, and Declarer scores 3 Clubs at the end. 10 tricks and a top board!
If East finds the more sensible opening lead of a Diamond, Declarer Declarer starts out with only 7 top tricks. The 8th one materializes when Diamonds are 3-3, and a 9th can be developed by end-playing West along similar lines to the play above.
West North East South Pass Pass Pass 1♣ Pass 1♠ Pass 2NT Pass 3♦ Pass 3NT All Pass
3♦ was New Minor Forcing, an attempt to find a 5-3 Spade fit, but, in the absence of that, 3NT is reached. After that auction, North will surely lead a Heart, and South will insert the Nine, forcing Declarer to release his King on the first round. Next, Declarer will play just two rounds of Spades, and will then tackle the Diamonds. If Declarer has his guessing shoes on he’ll lead the Q♦, picking up the whole suit when the Ten is doubleton. Now Declarer has 10 sure tricks and North will have to discard accurately to prevent more. She’ll have to find two pitches on the Diamonds. A Club can easily be spared, obviously not a Spade, so North pitches a Heart (perhaps the Queen would clarify things for South). However, 3NT making 10 tricks will probably be a good board, thanks to that lucky Diamond guess.
The aforementioned line worked a treat when the Diamonds came in, but Declarer might equally well have led a low Diamond, hoping for doubleton King with South. Not so good! Now Declarer can do no better than 8 tricks.
Finally, many Wests will open 1♦ and that might have the pleasant effect of inducing a Club lead from North. Now Declarer makes 10 or 11 tricks depending on his Diamond guess.
West North East South Pass 1NT Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass 3NT All Pass
After this auction, who could blame West for finding an opening lead of a low Club? Dummy’s Ten wins that, and the J♠ is led. East sensibly ducks this, wins the second Spade, and continues Clubs. Declarer’s Ace wins that, the Diamond finesse works, and (praying that East has not ducked with ♦Kxx), Declarer crosses to the A♥, cashes the black suit winners (pitching Hearts), and, with great trepidation repeats the Diamond finesse. Making 12 tricks. And making only 11 if West’s opening lead is a slightly offbeat high Club.
West North East South Pass 1NT Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♠ All Pass
North realizes that she should not expect much help on the defense from her partner (who cannot have more than 2 or 3 HCP’s), so she passively leads a Club, won by Declarer. A Spade finesse wins, then it’s back to hand with a Club for a repeat trump finesse. When the dust has cleared, it will be 10 tricks for Declarer.
West North East South Pass Pass Pass 1♥ Pass 2♥ Pass 3♦ Pass 4♥ All Pass
South’s game try is readily accepted by North. Against 4♥, West leads a black suit, it makes little difference which, so let’s say a Spade. Declarer wins and plays on trumps, but pauses for thought when East shows out on the second round. There is a trump control issue here. If Declarer draws the remaining trumps and then finds that there are two Diamonds to be lost, he will run out of trumps before the Diamonds are established. So, after the second round of trumps Declarer turns her attention to Diamonds while Dummy still has a trump to handle the Club force. However, when the J♦ appears on the first round all worries are gone. Declarer reverts to trumps, then knocks out the K♦ and scores 11 easy tricks.
West North East South Pass 1♦ Dbl 3♦ Pass Pass Dbl Pass 3♠ All Pass
- West’s 3♦ was preemptive. - North was no doubt slightly tempted to dredge up 3♠ over 3♦, but istead waited for South’s second Double before doing so.
N-S have 9 tricks in Spades, though 10 will be made if the defense does not attack Hearts before Declarer attacks Clubs.
West North East South 1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass 4♥ All Pass
This is a trouble hand for E-W, we confidently expect that a number of E-W pairs will go minus, either by reaching slam or by going off in 5♥ when the defense gets a Club ruff.
Our E-W pair had to bid conservatively to avoid that fate. East realized that if he used Roman Key Card and got a response of 5♠ (two with, which is what West actually has) his side would be too high. In other words bidding 4NT committed him to slam anyway. So, he guessed to stay low, noting an alarming shortage of Key Cards in his otherwise splendid hand.
West North East South Pass 1NT Pass 2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass 3NT Pass 4♥ All Pass
After West accepts the transfer, what is your rebid preference as East? Do you get scientific and bid 3♣, or do you just bash into 3NT giving the opponents a minimum of information? Our East is a minimum information fellow, it seems.
Against 4♥, after the uninformative auction above, it’s hard to see North finding the dangerous-looking Spade lead, the J♦ looks so much safer. Alas for the defense the J♦ allows one of Dummy’s Spade losers to be pitched away, and that’s 11 tricks for Declarer.
West North East South Pass 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass 1NT Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass 4♠ All Pass
N-S had a New Minor Forcing auction, and now it’s up to South to justify her exuberant bidding after an opening Club lead.
If Spades are 3-2 then Declarer can skate home by getting a Club ruff on the board. But delicate timing is required. The opening Club lead is won by East’s Jack The defense shifts to Hearts Declarer ruffs the second round of Hearts The AK♠ are cashed The A♣ is cashed The Diamonds are run Do you see why Declarer is in no rush to take her ruff in Dummy. That’s right, if she ruffs a Club first and then a defender can ruff the third round of Diamonds, Declarer will be cut off from Dummy’s last Diamond winner. On the actual hand, though, Diamonds are 3-3, so Declarer’s delicate timing proved unnecessary.
West North East South Pass Pass 1♥ 2♦ 2♥ Dbl 3♥ All Pass - With the opponents bidding and raising, East’s Double is Responsive - South’s 3♥ is purely obstructive … if she wants to show a better hand she can Redouble or bid a new suit.
Against 3♥, West to start out with the J♣, won by Declarer’s Ace. Declarer cannot safely get to Dummy so, at Trick 2, she plays the K♥ from her hand, won by West’s Ace. West shifts to a Spade, and the end-result will be 9 or 10 tricks for Declarer. Which it is will depend on whether Declarer can guess the Heart situation. One clue to guessing right is that West has not shown up with much for his two-level overcall, perhaps he has some distribution, such as a singleton Heart.
West North East South 1NT Pass 3♥ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♠ All Pass
Any pair that got to 6♠ on the 4-3 fit certainly hit the jackpot! 6♣ will also score a lot of matchpoints, and we’d even bet that 4♠ making six is above average. That 3♥ bid takes advantage of a gadget that works extremely well on this hand. The bid shows: - Precisely 3 Spades - Shortness in Hearts - 5-4 or 4-5 in the minors - Values for game The main purpose of the Gadget Without a Name is to find the 4-3 fit in the other major when 3NT proves unplayable, and, failing that, a 5♣ or 5♦ contract. Of course, the fact that the singleton is the King is far from ideal, no doubt West could not resist using his new toy and was willing to overlook that defect.
Slam is difficult to reach on these cards. West will be discouraged by the singleton King, and can hardly expect East to have the perfect maximum.
South West North East Pass Pass Pass 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 2NT Pass 3♠ Pass 3NT Pass 4♠ Pass 6♣ All Pass
Let us assume that the East sequence shows 22-23 HCPs. Now what? If E-W are playing transfers, then 3♠ is freed up for other purposes. One common such purpose is for 3♠ to say “Bid 3NT, Partner, then I will tell you what kind of a minor suit hand I have”. After Partner has accepted the relay to 3NT, here is one follow-up method: - 3♣ says “I have a Club one-suiter - 3♦ says “I have a Diamond one-suiter” - 3♥ says “I have both minors with Heart shortness” - 3♠ says the same but with Spade shortness.
This gadget is usually reserved for West hands with at least some slam interest. With lesser minor-oriented hands just bidding 3NT is the usual crude but effective matchpoint bid.
One more consideration. Suppose that West bids 3♠, East takes the relay to 3NT, and then West goes on to show his hand-type. In subsequent bidding 4NT is to play, Opener needs a way to revert to No Trump when his hand is not suitable for a minor suit slam. After West bids 4♠ (both minors with Spade shortness) East can hardly do less than bid 6♣.
West North East South Pass Pass 1NT Dbl Pass 2♣ 3♣ 3♠ Pass 4♠ All Pass
- East’s choice of 1NT will not appeal to everybody. - South’s Double is DONT, showing a one-suiter. - North’s 2♣ asks what is Partner’s suit. - Now, when East chimes in with 3♣, South tries 3♠ and North optimistically bids game.
Against 4♠, an opening Heart lead will spell instant defeat for Declarer, but West is likely to lead Partner’s suit. East wins the A♣, and now his best return is a low trump. Declarer wins that in her hand, crosses to the A♥ and pitches a Heart on Dummy’s Club winner. Now Declarer must guess whether East started with two or three Hearts. If she guesses correctly (perhaps she should with East likely to have six Clubs), then she’ll play a low Heart from the board, ruffing out East’s King. Now Dummy’s trump spots can force an entry to the board and the run of the Hearts brings home 10 tricks.
West North East South Pass 2♣ 2♦ Pass 3♦ 3NT All Pass
- Just as in Board 23, East has a 21-count which he decides to upgrade into the 22-23 range. Accordingly, he opens 2♣, planning a 2NT rebid. - However, South throws in a 2♦ bid putting West on the spot. Clearly West cannot show that rotten Spade suit with a weak hand, so her choices are to pass or to double. A common treatment here is for Pass to show some values and for Double to show a weak hand. What is the definition of “some values”? Some partnerships define values as an Ace, or a King, or a couple of Queens. If that is the case then West has the weakest Pass imaginable.
It turns out that E-W have no game, but if they have to bid game then at least 3NT goes down less than the alternatives. South leads a Diamond, won by Declarer’s King. 5 Clubs are cashed, forcing 3 pitches from South. A Heart and a Spade can be spared, but then South must part with a Diamond. Next, Declarer leads a Heart, after which South can take her 5 red tricks before being obliged to give up the last two Spade tricks. An end-play for down one (and probably a decent board for E-W).
West North East South 2NT Pass 3♥ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♦ Pass 4♥ Pass 4NT Pass 5♦ Pass 5♥ Pass 6NT All Pass
By an extraordinary coincidence, for the third time in four hands, East is dealt a big balanced hand with 5 Clubs: - 2NT: 20-21 - 3♥: Transfer - 3♠: Accepting the transfer (no super-accept, so probably not 4 Spades) - 4♦: A second suit - 4♥: A cue-bid in support of Diamonds - 4NT: If E-W are playing Minorwood or Redwood then that is just wonderful, but they are of no use here, the auction has crowded them out and 4NT is required for Roman Key Card.- 5♦: 3 Key Cards (1430 responses) - 5♥: Queen Ask (it’s the “cheapest non-signoff”)- 6NT: Good bid! Absent the Q♦, East could just bid 6♦, but that would no doubt be passed by West. East can see the benefits of 6NT, a better scoring contract and one which also protects the Heart holding from the opening lead, so he grabs the bull by the horns and bids it directly.
6NT is the right contract and is destined to make all 13 tricks. Declarer must pick up the Diamond suit, and should do so. Why? Because a holding of Q9xx of Diamonds can only be picked up if it is in the South hand. So when he gets in Declarer will play the A♦, and then run the Ten, catering for that specific case.
West North East South Pass Pass 1NT Dbl Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠ Dbl All Pass
The DONT brigade will be unable to resist introducing their Spades as East. Aggressive tactics such as these often work well, but not on this particular board, when 2♠ is doubled enthusiastically by South. What to lead, though? Not a trump, not the A♦, so a Club or a Heart. As North had the chance to double 2♣ Declarer might take the inference that she is more likely to have Hearts. Now, with accurate defense Declarer is down three for 500.
West North East South 2♥ All Pass
West’s Weak Two is likely to buy the contract. 2♥ is a relatively friendly affair for Declarer, thanks to the onside A♠ and K♣, and it’s quite likely that 9 tricks will be made at many tables. But not if North starts out with a Club. That is won by South who returns a Club. Later, North gets in with the A♥, zips over to Partner’s A♦, and gets a Club ruff to hold Declarer to just 8 tricks.
West North East South 1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass 1NT All Pass
We hesitate to predict the result of this contract. The ♠J opening lead, followed by a Club shift, will defeat 1NT, other defenses might not.
West North East South Pass Pass 1♠ 2♥ Pass Pass Dbl All Pass
Hopefully North will learn something from this deal as she goes for -500 in 2♥ doubled. That 2♥ bid got what it deserved, wouldn’t you say? If North really has to overcall at the two-level with a 10-count then there should at least be some character to the hand. There is no such character here … only 5 Hearts, no shortness, no fillers, poor controls, and side-suit Queens which may be quite useless on offense … just an awful hand!
If North refrains from that atrocious overcall then E-W will settle into a comfortable Spade part-score, probably making 9 tricks.
West North East South Pass Pass 1♦ Dbl 2♣ Pass 2♦ Dbl 3♦ Pass Pass Dbl Pass 3♠ All Pass
East gets full marks for persistence in this auction, and West finally buys it in 3♠. Against 3♠, North leads a Club, and has nothing better to try than to cash a second Club and lead back a third one, hoping that Partner has a useful trump holding. Alas for the defense she doesn’t and, with both majors behaving, it’s 9 rather lucky tricks for E-W.
A less tenacious East will sell out to 3♦, and if that happens, East will have a miserable time of it. He starts out with the K♠ which is won by Declarer, who fires a Spade right back. East cashes the A♦ but is now end-played! But, it gets even worse, here’s the full line of play: K♠ won by Declarer’s Ace Spade conceded to East A♦ is cashed (but now East is end-played) Low Club won by Declarer’s Jack Club to the Ace K♣ is ruffed and overruffed K♦ draws the last trump Low Heart won by East’s Jack (end-played again!) Here is the end-position: North ♥ AQ ♦ T95 West East ♠ 987 ♠ 43 ♥ 75 ♥ K9 ♣ ♣ Q South ♥ T4 ♦ J ♣ 87 East has just won the J♥, the defense’s 3rd trick. But now, whatever he does, Declarer has the rest: - If East returns a Spade, then the ruff and sluff allows the Heart loser to disappear. - If East returns a Heart, then Declarer scores two Heart tricks. - If East returns a Club, then Declarer ruffs, crosses to Dummy’s J♦, and pitches the Heart loser on the established Club.
West North East South Pass Pass 1♣ Pass 1♥ 1♠ Dbl 2♥ Pass 2♠ All Pass
- East makes a Support Double showing 3-card Heart support. - South’s 2♥ shows a good hand with Spade support … - … but North is not going anywhere with that garbage.
In the play of 2♠, it’s 9 easy tricks with one loser in each of the suits.
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