Looking for Jack

Author: Larry Cohen
Date of publish: 05/22/2015
Level: Intermediate

This deal comes from my most fertile source--the South Florida Bridge Players Imps Game. With both sides vulnerable, South held: 

?A108765
?K103
?K2
?65
After RHO dealt and opened a weak 2?, South overcalled 2? (a dead minimum, I'd say). LHO raised to 3? and partner jumped to 4? and you get to play it there.

West leads the ?5 and you see:

?KQ92
?Q92
?43
?AJ74
 
?A108765
?K103
?K2
?65

You will lose a trick in each minor and the ?A. It is apparent that everything hinges on finding the ?J--unless you can somehow find a way to discard a heart on dummy's clubs.

 

East wins the ?A and returns the ?Q. At the table, declarer drew trumps (LHO started with a singleton ?J) ending in hand. He tried a club to dummy's jack. If LHO had the ?KQ, this would immediately solve all problems. Even if it lost, declarer expected to be able to get a count on the hand.

 

The ?J lost to East's queen and a club came back. Declarer won the ?A and ruffed a club--East throwing a diamond. Are you counting? East started with ?Qx, 2 trumps and likely 6 diamonds. This means hearts are 4-3 with West having 4. Accordingly, declarer went with the 4:3 odds and finessed against West in hearts. This was the Real Deal: 

Vul: Both
Dlr: East
?KQ92
?Q92
?43
?AJ74
 
?J
?A854
?1065
?K10832
  ?43
?J76
?AQJ987
?Q9
  ?A108765
?K103
?K2
?65
 

True, it was unlucky that the hand with only 3 hearts happened to have the jack. However, there was a much better line of play available. After winning the ?K, declarer should cash the ?A, draw trump ending in hand and lead towards dummy's ?J.

 

Do you see the extra chances? If West started with the ?KQ, declarer is still okay; Upon winning a high club, West will have to either break hearts, issue a ruff-and-sluff, or lead from his other club honor (setting up dummy's ?J).  If clubs prove to be 4-3 with nothing interesting happening, that means East started with 2 spades, 6 diamonds and at least 3 clubs--making it very likely West has the ?J. Best of all is that clubs will often be 5-2 (as in the Real Deal). Look what happens on the second round of clubs. East has to win his ?Q and is immediately endplayed into breaking hearts or issuing a ruff-and-sluff. 

This superior line of play was missed at both tables in this expert game.