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David's Well-Laid Plan

David's Well-Laid Plan

See if you can match my partner, David Berkowitz's detailed analysis on this deal from the first session of the Reisinger teams in San Francisco (2007):

bridge card suitA 3
bridge card suit4
bridge card suitK 10 9 7 3 2
bridge card suitQ 8 5 3
bridge card suitK J
bridge card suitA 9 6 3
bridge card suit8 6 4
bridge card suitK J 6 4
WestNorthEastSouth
Pass1bridge card suit*
1bridge card suit2bridge card suitPass2N
Pass3bridge card suitPassPass
3bridge card suitPass3bridge card suitPass
Pass3NT**Double4bridge card suit
PassPassDoubleAll Pass

*Precision (could be short)

**Takeout

The auction is an eye full. Let me try to summarize.

David systemically opened 1bridge card suit (because 1bridge card suit would have been strong).

After showing a limit raise, I attempted to bail out in 3bridge card suit (a fine contract). LHO balanced and then in turn, I balanced to try to reach 4bridge card suit or 4bridge card suit. David ended in 4bridge card suitX--not a terrible contract.

The bridge card suitK was led to David's bridge card suitA. He played a diamond and LHO won the ace. Another heart tapped dummy and the bridge card suitK revealed the 3-1 break (LHO throwing a spade). Now what?

All you need is to play clubs for one loser. David carefully came to his spade king and led the bridge card suit4 to LHO's 7, dummy's queen and RHO's ace. RHO cashed his good trump and tapped dummy with another heart. You play a low club from dummy and RHO plays the deuce. The moment of truth has arrived.

David put in the bridge card suit6!

He played RHO for bridge card suitA109x. His reasoning was as follows: RHO was willing to defend against 3bridge card suit. Accordingly, he probably had only 3-card spade support for his partner. That meant RHO was 3=3=3=4 and LHO was 6=5=1=1. (The opponents had no Michaels bid available over the Precision 1bridge card suit).

Good thinking partner. Alas, the full deal was:

Vul: 
Dlr: 
bridge card suitA 3
bridge card suit4
bridge card suitK 10 9 7 3 2
bridge card suitQ 8 5 3
bridge card suitQ 9 8 4 2
bridge card suitK Q J 10 2
bridge card suitA
bridge card suit10 7
bridge card suit10 7 6 5
bridge card suit8 7 5
bridge card suitQ J 5
bridge card suitA 9 2
bridge card suitK J
bridge card suitA 9 6 3
bridge card suit8 6 4
bridge card suitK J 6 4

As you see, this brilliant plan failed. The bridge card suit6 lost to the bridge card suit10, down 1. All of my students would have brought in this club suit for only one loser. I suppose I had the wrong partner this time. (The other table played our cards in 3NT undoubled down 2, for a tied board).

 **Addendum June, 2013

After dummy ruffed the 2nd heart, calmly play clubs twice, toward king and jack.If West shows out on 2nd round, ruff a heart and cash spades to end in hand. Now play the 4th heart and discard a club. Dummy's last club goes on the ruff and discard in next trick.Reported byTommy Skalmer?s,Trondheim, Norway