Author: Larry Cohen
Date of publish: 06/01/2018
Level: Intermediate
See if you can do better than several World Champion declarers who held this South hand in the 2017 Bermuda Bowl:
KJ5
AJ1073
KQJ2
2
With neither side vulnerable, in second seat, your partner opens 1. After RHO Passes, you respond 1 and LHO overcalls 1. Partner raises to 2 (promising 4-card support) and RHO chimes in with 3. You attempt to double for penalties, but partner removes to 3 which you raise to 4. The 9 is led and you see:
62
K842
4
AK8764
|
| |
KJ5
AJ1073
KQJ2
2
|
RHO wins the A and shifts to a low spade. LHO takes your jack with the queen, cashes the ace and then exits with a club.
What is your plan?
This is certainly a "draw-trump" situation. Or is it?
You have only high cards left, and if you can pick up the Q you have the rest of the tricks.
Will it be 8-ever, 9-never? That would mean you play for the drop. "Never" finesse with 9.
That's what several of our experts tried, and this was the Real Deal:
Vul:None
Dlr: West |
62
K842
4
AK8764
|
|
AQ843
6
96
QJ953
|
|
1097
Q95
A108753
10
|
| |
KJ5
AJ1073
KQJ2
2
|
|
Down one. So, how should they have known?
After winning the A at trick 4, it couldn't hurt to do some exploration.
From the bidding and early play, LHO was marked with 5 spades and not too many diamonds. He couldn't also be short in clubs.
Before broaching the trump suit, it couldn't hurt to play more clubs from dummy (West won't ruff). On the second round of clubs, East shows out! This marks West with 5-5 in the black suits, and heart shortness. If West has 2 hearts, it means only 1 diamond. That would give East 7 diamonds, and he would likely have bid the first time. With West's shape pretty much marked (5=1=2=5), declarer should play the K and then finesse against East's Q for +420.
