If you are reading this, it seems my editor allowed me to write about an "almost" Real Deal. This is based on a theme from a deal that occurred in the 2018 Orlando World Bridge Championships. Our "almost South" held:
KQJ
AKQ
AK
AK1092.
After 3 passes (no surprise), what should you open? You could just take a stab at 6NT. After all, opposite xxx xxx xxx xxxx, it has reasonable play. Let's be more scientific and open 2. Over partner's 2 waiting, rather than bid notrump (yet), let's try to focus on the key issue--clubs. You bid 3 and this pays off when partner raises to 4.
This is a perfect ace-asking hand. Many experts use 4 to ask, but we'll go with a straightforward 4NT over which partner responds 5. Assuming you know that your partnership uses 1430, that means 1 keycard, the A of course. Now what? The next step, 5 asks for the Q. In this case, you must be interested in 7, because you are already past 5, so there is no need to ask for the Q unless possession of it would cause you to bid 7. On the same wavelength, your partner jumps to 7 to show the queen. Being greedy, you convert to 7NT and receive the 10 lead:
A2
765
98652
Q43
|
| |
KQJ
AKQ
AK
AK1092
|
How should you play?
The only issue is the club suit. If you can take 5 tricks there, you have 13 in total. The robotic play in clubs is to lay down the ace, then cross to the queen. If LHO shows out on the second round, you are in the right hand to take a finesse against RHO's marked Jxxx. Should you play like a robot?
No. You will never pick up clubs if LHO has Jxxx(x). Why would you take an early finesse against West when the suit might be 3-2? You wouldn't. So, it is East's Jxxx(x) you worry about. If he has only Jxxx, there is no problem. But, if he has Jxxxx (unlikely, I know), laying down the ace first is fatal. You could cross to the queen and finesse, but you'd be left with K10 and a void in dummy. You couldn't take a second finesse. This is why the correct play here (with a side dummy entry) is to win the first trick in hand and start with a low club to the queen. If everyone follows and you play back to your ace and LHO shows out, you still have the A for the marked club finesse. The gain comes in the "real" deal:
Vul:None
Dlr: West |
A2
765
98652
Q43
|
|
10987
9842
Q10743
--
|
|
6543
J103
J
J8765
|
| |
KQJ
AKQ
AK
AK1092
|
|
You win the spade lead in hand (saving dummy's A, of course). Now comes the key play of a low club to the queen. The 5-0 break causes no problem. You finesse at trick 3 and then cross to the A to take another club finesse and make the contract.
On the "real" Real deal, on a slightly different layout, the expert declarer played the club suit correctly, but alas they split 3-2!
