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Here
are two play hands from the Charlotte (October, 2007) Regional:
First,
you reach 4♠
(from
the short side) on this layout:
|
Dlr:
South
Vul: Both
|
|
North
|
|
|
♠
|
J
10 9 8 7 5
|
|
♥
|
Q 10 2
|
|
♦
|
J
4
|
|
♣
|
Q
5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
South
|
|
♠
|
A
Q 4
|
|
♥
|
5
|
|
♦
|
A
K 5 2
|
|
♣
|
8
7 6 4 2
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
|
|
|
1♦* |
| 1♥ |
2♥** |
P |
4♠
|
| P |
P |
P |
|
|
*Precision
**Artificial, 6+♠ |
The treatment of 2♥
to show 6+♠ is gaining in popularity these days. (In
conjunction, double is used to show 4 or 5♠.) This has
the effect of right-siding the contract (putting the overcaller on
lead).
West leads the ♥A,
and unable to read the signal, continues with the ♥K.
Your plan?
I see nothing better than playing
the top diamonds and ruffing a diamond in dummy to take a trump
finesse.
All follow to the ace-king of
diamonds, but on the next diamond, you ruff high in dummy (not
carelessly with the ♠5)
and East discards a heart! This is strange.
Now what?
West seems to have started with at
least 10 red cards. East didn't overruff, so it looks like West
has the ♠K.
There is a good chance it is singleton.
So, cross your fingers (if you
wish) and play a spade to your ace. The king falls. Making
620 for a 10-imp gain:
|
|
|
North |
|
|
♠
|
J
10 9 8 7 5
|
|
♥
|
Q 10 2
|
|
♦
|
J
4
|
|
♣ |
Q
5
|
|
|
|
|
West
|
|
|
East
|
|
♠
|
K |
♠ |
6
3 2 |
|
♥
|
A
K 8 7 6 |
♥
|
J
9 4 3 |
|
♦
|
Q
10 9 7 3 |
♦
|
8
6 |
|
♣
|
K
3 |
♣ |
A
J 10 9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
South |
|
♠
|
A
Q 4
|
|
♥
|
5
|
|
♦
|
A
K 5 2
|
| ♣ |
8
7 6 4 2
|
That's how my partner, David Berkowitz played
it, to win our team 10 IMPs (not surprisingly, the other table
played a partscore).
-----------------------------
This deal was also played by my
partner, David Berkowitz in one of the knockout matches. He'll
be so happy if he reads this pair of deals (he complains that I
usually write about the ones he screws up).
|
♠
|
A 7 |
|
♥
|
A Q 5 4 2 |
|
♦
|
9 5 |
|
♣
|
A K 8 6 |
At IMPs, with both vulnerable,
your RHO deals and opens 2♠.
What's your call?
This hand has the wrong shape and
texture for a natural 2NT. While 3♥
is a possible call, I prefer double, which is more flexible.
Partner bids 3♦
(in this case it promised some values, due to a conventional
treatment) and you bid 3♥,
raised to 4♥.
|
Dlr: South
Vul: Both
|
|
North
|
|
|
♠
|
5
3
|
|
♥
|
K 6 3
|
|
♦
|
A
Q 4 2
|
|
♣
|
7
4 3 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
South
|
|
♠
|
A
7
|
|
♥
|
A
Q 5 4 2
|
|
♦
|
9
5
|
|
♣
|
A
K 8 6
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
|
|
2♠
|
X |
| Pass |
3♦* |
Pass |
3♥ |
| Pass |
4♥ |
All
Pass |
|
|
*values |
|
|
|
The ♠2
is led and RHO plays the ♠9.
What is your plan?
At suit contracts, it's best to
count losers. Here, you have to lose a spade and a club for
sure. If clubs and hearts are 3-2, you will make this contract
even with the ♦K
wrong. But, with RHO known to have 6 spades, side suits are less
likely to split evenly.
The key play, as is so often the
case, must be made at trick one. You should let East hold the ♠9.
It is hard to see the exact reason, but on general principles,
it is usually good to surrender such unavoidable losers early
(in this case, you are cutting later defensive communications).
RHO wins the ♠9
and returns the suit to your ace. You test trumps with the ace
and king and discover that RHO started with a singleton. With a
sure trump loser, you now have to hope clubs and diamonds
combine for only one loser. You lay down the ♣A
and ♣K,
all following. Should you take the diamond finesse for your
contract?
What's the hurry? Exit with your
last club and if RHO has the third club, he will be endplayed.
This was the real deal in Charlotte:
|
|
|
North |
|
|
♠
|
5
3
|
|
♥
|
K 6 3
|
|
♦
|
A
Q 4 2
|
|
♣ |
7
4 3 2
|
|
|
|
|
West
|
|
|
East
|
|
♠
|
Q
8 2
|
♠
|
K
J 10 9 6 4
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|
♥
|
J 9 8 7
|
♥
|
10
|
|
♦
|
10
8 7 6
|
♦
|
k
j 3
|
|
♣
|
J
9
|
♣
|
Q
10 5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
South |
|
♠
|
A
7
|
|
♥
|
A
Q 5 4 2
|
|
♦
|
9
5
|
| ♣ |
A
K 8 6
|
Let's review the play. You ducked
the ♠9
at trick one (the key play). You won the next spade, drew only
2 trumps and played 3 rounds of clubs. What happens on the
third club? It does West no good to ruff with his natural
trump trick, so East wins. He has to either give a ruff-sluff
(you throw your diamond loser and ruff in dummy), or lead from
his ♦K.
This partial elimination earns you +620 and a 13-imp gain (the
other table played 3NT down 2).
Note: Had you won the first
trick, the endplay wouldn't have worked. East would be able to
get to his partner in spades for a diamond through the dummy and
a defensive trick in each suit.
To see two (advanced-level) bidding decisions
from this same tournament, click
here.
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