Column Collection 7C65 by Richard Pavlicek
Column Collection 7C65 by Richard Pavlicek
You should find a lot of instructive reading — each article is like a bridge lesson — as well as some occasional bits of bridge history and humor. I hope you enjoy them. But don’t wait for the movie!
Testy Deal Requires Lucky Guess
1. 
4 
by South
None Vul | 8 6 5 2 K 4 3 2 5 K 9 6 3 | |
| Q 7 4 3 9 6 K J 10 8 3 Q 2 | ![[W - E]](t.gif) | 10 A J 8 7 5 Q 7 4 2 10 5 4 |
| Lead: J | A K J 9 Q 10 A 9 6 A J 8 7 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 3 | East Pass Pass | South 1 2 4 |
South’s one-club opening is dictated because his hand is too strong for one notrump and not strong enough for two notrump. After North responds one heart, South must quell his desire to bid notrump — note that three notrump fares poorly with a diamond lead — and show his strong spade suit. Further, South should jump shift to indicate game-going strength, and this soon results in the proper contract.
West does best to lead diamonds, the unbid suit, and declarer has a lot to think about: Should he draw trumps now? Should he ruff diamonds immediately? Or play on hearts? And what about clubs? Based on the North-South hands alone, the proper play is not obvious — even after considerable analysis — but my choice is to play the heart ten to the king. This is predicated on the sound general principle of driving out enemy aces first, since those tricks must always be lost. By throwing the ball back to the defense, declarer can postpone his decision until he has more information; and occasionally the defenders will do something to aid declarer’s cause.
Assume that East wins the ace and returns a heart to the queen. Ruff a diamond and lead a spade: 10, jack, queen. West should return a trump and now declarer can succeed with an overtrick: Ruff the last diamond, play a club to the ace, draw trumps and run the clubs. Anyone would do that looking at all four hands; but the club queen does not rate to drop holding just eight clubs.
I must admit that I would lead a club to the jack — failing miserably (down two) when West wins and leads another diamond. I guess it’s just as well that other commitments prevented me from playing in this event.
Winning Defense Not Noticed in Contest Deal
2. 4 by South
| N-S Vul | K 10 6 A 10 5 3 A 9 3 J 8 2 | |
| A J 9 7 4 2 9 10 Q 9 7 4 3 | | 8 5 Q 4 2 K Q J 4 2 K 10 5 |
| Lead: 10 | Q 3 K J 8 7 6 8 7 6 5 A 6 |
| West 2 Pass | North Pass 4 | East Pass All Pass | South Pass 3 |
Ellen Peltz of Sunrise reached the optimistic contract while playing at the Tamarac Bridge Club. As South, she passed originally and then backed in with three hearts after West’s weak two-bid was passed around. Her partner, Jim Long of Ft. Lauderdale, showed supreme confidence in her play by raising to game.
The diamond lead was taken by the ace, then declarer cashed the heart ace, finessed the jack, and drew the outstanding trump with the king. The handling of the trump suit was based on the bidding: West was known to be long in spades, so East rated to have longer hearts — hence, the finesse. The spade queen was led to the ace and West shifted to a club to force out declarer’s ace. The spade finesse (odds-on from the bidding) then provided a parking place for South’s club loser and only two more tricks were lost in diamonds — making four hearts.
Well played. My argument, however, lies with the defense. West can always defeat four hearts by refusing the first spade lead and winning the second. Declarer now cannot get to dummy in time for a club discard except at the expense of leading a fourth round of trumps, which is needed to ruff declarer’s last diamond. And what if declarer does not draw trumps first? Same story. As long as West wins the second spade lead, he can return a third spade to allow East to ruff and kill the discard.
I prefer Peltz’s line of play to that quoted at the beginning because it forces West to play before he sees which spade his partner plays. But either way, proper defense will prevail.
Defensive Error Costly on July Fourth Deal
3. 4 by South
| E-W Vul | A K K 4 3 Q 6 5 4 A 8 7 2 | |
| 10 8 6 5 2 K J 10 9 K 9 6 4 | | Q 4 J 10 9 8 A 8 7 2 J 10 5 |
| Lead: J | J 9 7 3 2 A Q 7 6 5 3 Q 3 |
| West Pass Pass | North 1 NT 2 4 | East Pass Pass All Pass | South 2 3 |
South’s two-heart response showed a five-card or longer spade suit and North was obliged to complete the “transfer” with two spades. Three hearts then showed five hearts — hence, five-five in the majors — and North chose the trump suit with the greater combined length.
The play was routine. West’s diamond jack won the first trick and the continuation was ruffed by South. The ace and king of spades were unblocked, then declarer drew two rounds of trumps with the king and queen to reveal the four-one break when West threw a club. The fall of the spade queen, while friendly, made it clear that West still had a stopper in that suit, so declarer made use of dummy’s remaining trump to ruff a spade. This was overruffed by East, but no problem — East was always entitled to a trump trick. Declarer ruffed the diamond return, drew the last trump, and won his two good spades to make his contract.
Did you spot the defensive error? East could have defeated the contract by not overruffing the third round of spades. This retains his trump length equal to South’s and forces declarer to lose trump control. Dummy is out of trumps at this point so the only way declarer can get to his hand is by ruffing, after which East will have more trumps than South. The end result is that declarer cannot enjoy either of his spade winners.
A question remains: Could declarer have made his contract (legitimately) in some other way? My analysis shows it is makable by the curious play of discarding a club instead of ruffing the second diamond lead. The defense must continue diamonds, so ruff; spade A-K; diamond ruff; spade ruff, and there is effective defense. Nonetheless, this is a dubious line of play since it is based on seeing all four hands.
Floridians Second in 1987 Spingold ChampionshipBernie Chazen of Tamarac; Russ Arnold and Michael Seamon of the Miami area; and Tom Mahaffey, Jack Denny and Roy Fox of the St. Petersburg area defeated every team they faced until the final match, in which they suffered an 8-point loss to a team captained by Brian Glubok of New York City. Despite the narrow loss, the Florida squad earned qualification for the U.S. Team Trials to select a representative to the 1988 World Championship because the Glubok team was ineligible (it included a non-American player).
On today’s deal Bernie Chazen had to reach into his bag of tricks to justify his optimistic bidding. After East’s weak two-heart bid, Chazen, South, might well have passed with only 12 points since his partner, Russ Arnold, had previously passed; but experience has shown that aggressive bidding is so often the winning strategy — hence, the takeout double. North’s cue-bid of three hearts indicated game-going values, South showed his four-card spade suit, and North raised to game.
4. 4 by South
| Both Vul | A 10 8 5 2 K 7 5 2 A 8 5 4 | |
| Q J 3 A 9 6 4 10 8 9 7 6 2 | | 7 Q J 10 8 7 3 K J 9 4 K 3 |
| Lead: A | K 9 6 4 5 2 A Q 6 3 Q J 10 |
| West Pass Pass Pass | North Pass 3 4 | East 2 Pass All Pass | South Dbl 3 |
West led the heart ace and shifted to a club, ducked to the king; then East returned a diamond which South won by finessing the queen. The spade king and ace were cashed, and declarer’s prospects seemed to crumble when East showed out. With a sure trump loser, the only chance to make the contract was to avoid losing a diamond trick — ostensibly impossible. But Chazen saw a glimmer of hope and he played for it.
The queen and jack of clubs were cashed, a heart was ruffed in dummy, and a diamond was discarded on the club ace. Declarer then led a diamond to the ace (key play) before exiting with a spade to West. Fortunately, West held no more diamonds and the forced heart return allowed declarer to ruff in one hand and discard his diamond loser from the other.
One Tiny Slip Lets Optimistic Contract Make
5. 4 by South
| Both Vul | J 5 A 9 8 7 7 6 5 3 10 7 2 | |
| 10 4 3 2 K J K Q 8 A 6 4 3 | | 6 10 6 3 A J 10 4 2 Q J 9 8 |
| Lead: K | A K Q 9 8 7 Q 5 4 2 9 K 5 |
| West 1 Pass Pass All Pass | North Pass 1 3 | East 1 2 Pass | South Dbl 2 4 |
The bidding is reasonable but optimistic. South doubled to indicate a strong hand, and then introduced his spade suit after his partner was forced to bid. One might question why South did not raise his partner’s heart suit; but his motive was to protect the club king from the opening lead — a crucial maneuver. When North produced a dubious raise to three spades, South eagerly continued to game.
West led the diamond king, then continued the suit to force South to ruff. Trumps were drawn in four rounds (discarding a club and a diamond from dummy) and a low heart was led to the ace. The appearance of the heart jack gave declarer cause to wonder; but West’s opening bid made him an overwhelming favorite to hold the heart king, as well as the club ace. On that basis there was just one chance — an endplay against West.
Declarer ruffed another diamond, devoiding himself of trumps, and then exited with a low heart which West won perforce with the king. Left with only clubs, West had to give South a trick with the club king, and the remaining two heart winners completed the overbidders’ dream.
Was there a “tiny slip” on defense? Yes, but not by West. East could have defeated the contract at trick one by overtaking the diamond king with the ace to return the club queen. Realistically, however, this is an unsound defensive play because West might be leading from K-x in diamonds (East bid that suit), and the actual ending was a kind of fluke. Therefore, in a bridge court of law, both defenders should be acquitted.
Gambling Three Notrump Bid Is “Old Hat” NowWhy? Witness today’s deal. South held an ideal hand for such a gamble, so he blasted away with three notrump. In the old days West would lead a spade to South’s king and declarer would easily win nine tricks: one spade, one club and seven diamonds. And worse yet, South would revel (if not gloat) in the process.
6. 3 NT by South
| Both Vul | 9 3 J 9 5 6 3 A Q 8 5 4 3 | |
| A Q J 8 6 5 A 4 3 8 2 7 6 | | 10 4 K 10 8 7 6 2 10 9 K 10 9 |
| Lead: A | K 7 2 Q A K Q J 7 5 4 J 2 |
| West All Pass | North | East | South 3 NT |
Today’s defenders, however, are more sophisticated. When South opened three notrump, West was aware of the kind of hand it implied — a long, solid minor suit. In that case it was imperative not to relinquish the lead if there was any chance to defeat the contract; or in a nutshell: Lead an ace. This way West could see the dummy and his partner’s signal.
West led the heart ace then continued the suit when East encouraged with the eight. After running six heart tricks, East shifted to the spade ten which trapped the king and gave West six spade tricks. Declarer won the last trick, but it was just a token from the rubble; down eight (minus 800) was an ugly result. Observe that the lead of the spade ace followed by a shift to the heart ace also would defeat three notrump, though less brutally.
It is results like this that have convinced many experts to abandon the gambling three notrump bid — at least now that most defenders are wise to it.
“Scramble and Crossruff” Works For Declarer
7. 4 by South
| None Vul | A 8 5 Q 10 3 2 K Q 9 8 2 8 | |
| K Q 3 9 8 7 5 A 10 7 6 3 9 | | 7 2 K J 4 5 4 Q J 10 6 4 3 |
| Lead: 9 | J 10 9 6 4 A 6 J A K 7 5 2 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 2 3 | East Pass Pass | South 1 3 4 |
The one-spade opening reflects a modern tendency of advocates of the “five-card major” approach. The traditional opening with five-five in the black suits is one club in order to conserve bidding space; but then it takes three bids to convey the hand’s most important feature — the five-card spade suit. The modern approach describes this feature in just one bid, admittedly with a sacrifice in economy. Straightforward bidding then led to the proper four-spade contract. (Traditionalists would get to the same contract via: 1 1 ; 1 2 ; 2 4 .)
Most declarers failed to make four spades, partly because of the somewhat adverse distribution, but mostly because the play requires delicate timing. The exact line of play is difficult to forecast and might be described as a “scramble and crossruff.” The natural propensity to lead trumps must be resisted; declarer must proceed one trick at a time.
Assume West leads the heart nine: 10, jack, ace; then the diamond jack is led to the ace. West continues with the heart eight, ducked around; then the club nine (no other defense is better) goes to South’s ace. The club king is ruffed by West (low) and overruffed; diamond king; diamond queen, ruffed and overruffed. Note the strategy of cashing (or attempting to cash) side-suit winners early — an important technique when declarer plans to crossruff without drawing the enemy trumps.
A club is ruffed (West discards a heart, best), then a heart ruff fells the king. A trump is led to dummy’s ace (leaving West with the only outstanding trump), and declarer’s last club loser is discarded on the heart queen. If you’re still with me, that comes to 10 tricks.
Event Commemorates 50 Years of Organized BridgeAn unusual attraction is that “gold” masterpoints — until now attainable only at large tournaments — will be awarded at the local level. Participants also will receive a souvenir book containing analyses of the deals by Richard Pavlicek (hey, that’s me)… sorry, no previews.
In honor of the occasion I have selected a deal that was played 50 years ago in New Hampshire. Not being around at the time, I thank George S. Coffin, who published it in his classic book, Endplays.
8. 4 by South
| Both Vul | J 6 4 2 Q 6 Q 6 4 2 A 6 4 | |
| 10 8 A K 10 8 5 3 J 10 8 K J | | Q 9 7 9 7 4 2 9 7 Q 9 7 2 |
| Lead: K | A K 5 3 J A K 5 3 10 8 5 3 |
| West 2 All Pass | North 2 | East 3 | South 1 4 |
South’s opening bid of one spade would not be the choice of most players today, but in 1937 the mainstream was “four-card majors.” After West’s routine overcall and North’s raise, it is curious to note East’s vulnerable raise to three hearts on “garbage” and South’s aggressive jump to game. I guess bridge players will bid ‘em up no matter what the era.
The play began with two top hearts, South ruffing the second, then the ace and king of spades were cashed. On a lucky day the queen would drop doubleton; but not this time. Declarer next led three top diamonds as East discarded a heart. (East could not gain by ruffing with the master trump.)
It still appears that two clubs and a trump must be lost, but declarer found a way around it. He played the ace and another club to put West on lead. The forced heart return allowed declarer to discard dummy’s remaining club and ruff in hand, thus making his contract.
Note that West could not avoid the endplay. If he unblocked the club king under the ace, East would have to crash the jack to gain the lead — then South’s ten would be good.
Eagerness To Cash Tricks Helps DeclarerI thought today’s deal, no. 15 in the booklet, was both interesting and instructive. Many South players found themselves declaring four spades, sometimes after the bidding shown: West doubled South’s opening bid for takeout and East dutifully bid his longest suit. South then clamored three spades, West took a chance with three notrump (this goes down three tricks), and North trustfully raised to four spades. West felt that his 18 points warranted a final double. Did they?
9. 4 x by South
| N-S Vul | 10 6 5 10 7 3 A 4 8 7 6 3 2 | |
| A Q Q 9 5 2 Q 10 6 A K J 4 | | 7 8 6 4 9 8 7 5 3 2 Q 10 9 |
| Lead: K | K J 9 8 4 3 2 A K J K J 5 |
| West Dbl 3 NT Dbl | North Pass 4 All Pass | East 2 Pass | South 1 3 Pass |
Maybe not. West led the club king then the ace which South ruffed. From the bidding it was clear that the finesses in the major suits would fail, so declarer embarked on a different campaign. He crossed to the diamond ace, ruffed another club, cashed the diamond king, and exited with a spade to West. This allowed West to win his two trump tricks; but then what? A club return would establish dummy’s fifth club (providing a discard for declarer); a diamond return would give a ruff and discard. So West led a heart — right into the jaws of the A-K-J.
Actually West’s final double was quite reasonable; his defense, however, was not. After seeing the dummy, he should have realized the danger of setting up the club suit. If declarer held another club, there was no hurry to cash it — he could not get rid of it. Instead West should shift to a diamond. Now try to make four spades! (There is no way.)
Declarer’s Downfall Is “Too Many Discards”Observe the North hand. If the diamond queen were replaced by the deuce, there is no doubt that any reasonable bridge player would succeed in a four-heart contract. But because of that extra high card, a number of declarers were defeated.
10. 4 by South
| E-W Vul | A Q 10 6 3 2 A K Q 8 Q 9 4 | |
| J 7 3 Q 10 9 J 9 7 2 A 8 2 | | K 4 2 A 4 10 6 5 4 3 10 7 3 |
| Lead: 3 | 9 8 5 K J 8 7 6 5 — K J 6 5 |
| West Pass All Pass | North 1 NT | East Pass | South 4 |
The bidding was standard although some may object to North’s choice of opening bids. In the old days it was taboo to open one notrump with a worthless doubleton; but the modern style (of which I approve) is to treat balanced hands the same, regardless of the location of high cards. (A balanced hand contains no singleton or void, and at most one doubleton.) One advantage of this is that it simplifies the bidding — to wit: South could place the final contract immediately upon knowing that North held a balanced hand.
West judged well to lead the unbid major suit, a good standby when a hand contains no attractive lead. Declarer rose with the ace and discarded his two remaining spades on the ace-king of diamonds. He then discarded a club on the diamond queen — why not, it was there — before leading a heart to the jack and queen. (Looking at all four hands one would play the heart king, but declarer’s play was technically correct.)
West returned his last diamond, ruffed by declarer, and a low club was led to the queen as West ducked. East perforce won the next heart lead and produced — yes, another diamond! Now declarer was finished. If he ruffed low, West would overruff; and if he ruffed with the king, West’s heart 10 would be promoted into a winner.
One could say that declarer was diamonded to death, but the obvious truth is that he brought it upon himself. All he had to do was leave that diamond queen alone. Or was it North’s fault for having too many points?
Excellent Defense Is Difficult To CounterNorth’s one-notrump opening followed the contemporary school, i.e., 15-17 points instead of the traditional 16-18. (Could this be the bridge players’ answer to inflation?)
11. 4 by South
| N-S Vul | K 6 A 7 6 4 A J 8 4 K 7 6 | |
| 5 2 K 9 2 10 3 2 Q J 10 9 8 | | A Q 8 7 — K Q 6 5 A 5 4 3 2 |
| Lead: 5 | J 10 9 4 3 Q J 10 8 5 3 9 7 — |
| West All Pass | North 1 NT | East 2 | South 4 |
East did not lose his senses as it appears. His two-diamond overcall was the “Astro” convention which showed at least nine cards in two suits, one of which must be spades. (The other half of this gadget is a two-club overcall to show hearts and a minor suit.) If you are lost by all this, don’t worry. One of the appeals of bridge is that it can be enjoyed just as much through simple bidding — perhaps even more so, as fancy bidding may lead to disaster… or, more appropriately in this case, disastro.
South used good judgment in jumping to game with his exciting distribution, and this bought the contract.
West led the spade five — remember, East showed spades in the bidding — and it turned out to be devastating. East won the queen and ace, then led a third spade which allowed West to ruff with the heart nine to force dummy to overruff with the ace. This unconditionally promoted a trump trick for West, whose king normally would be captured by a finesse. Declarer also had to lose a diamond trick, and he was defeated.
Are you satisfied? Despite the excellent defense, declarer could have succeeded with better play. The loss of a trump trick was unavoidable — I don’t care how good you are — but the diamond loser was not so ordained. By overruffing with the heart ace, declarer gave himself almost no chance. Instead he should discard a diamond from dummy. Then, after regaining the lead with a club ruff, he should take the trump finesse (the percentage play) and draw trumps. Finally, dummy’s two remaining diamond losers can be discarded on the good spades.
Going With the Odds May Not Be Good Enough
12. 3 NT by South
| E-W Vul | A 10 3 9 7 5 A Q 10 3 K 6 4 | |
| 8 5 Q J 10 8 2 J 8 6 5 Q 10 | | Q J 9 6 4 K 4 4 J 9 7 5 3 |
| Lead: Q | K 7 2 A 6 3 K 9 7 2 A 8 2 |
| West Pass | North 1 3 NT | East Pass All Pass | South 2 NT |
West led the heart queen, East overtook with the king (a standard unblocking play), and declarer held up the ace until the third round on which East discarded a club.
The problem, of course, was how to play the diamond suit. Declarer reasoned that East was more likely to have length in diamonds because of his shortness in hearts, so he began by winning the ace and queen. Curtains! East showed out and now there was no way to finesse West for the jack. The reader asks, “Was my reasoning correct?”
Yes, up to that point. When one suit is known to divide in lopsided fashion (as the hearts here), the odds favor a compensating division in another suit. One would expect East to be longer in diamonds — most of the time. I emphasize the latter because it is based only on probability and, as any racetrack enthusiast will affirm, the favorite doesn’t always win.
The reader committed himself too soon. He should have sought further information about the enemy distribution before tackling the diamond suit — or in bridge parlance: Try to get a count of the hand. After winning the heart ace, the best maneuver is to lead a spade toward dummy and finesse the 10. (This is safe because East is out of hearts.) Assume that East wins and returns a spade.
Declarer then cashes his top cards in spades and clubs to learn that East began with five spades (affirmed when West shows out on the third round), two hearts and at least three clubs (remember, East discarded a club on the third heart). Therefore, it is impossible for East to hold four diamonds. Declarer now has a certainty by winning the diamond ace followed by the king. Either the suit will divide three-two (in which case the jack must drop) or, as in the diagram, East will show out to reveal the finesse against West.
Small Slam Fails… But Grand Slam SucceedsNorth-South bid to six spades at one table, and it was defeated — note that West cannot be prevented from winning two spade tricks. At the other table Michael Seamon of Miami and Bill Passell of Coral Springs avoided the ill-fated spade slam. Instead they bid to a grand slam… in the right suit.
13. 7 by South
| Both Vul | K 6 4 3 — A K Q J K Q 7 5 4 | |
| Q 9 7 5 K 9 7 2 10 9 3 8 2 | | 10 A 10 8 6 4 3 8 7 6 2 9 3 |
| Lead: 2 | A J 8 2 Q J 5 5 4 A J 10 6 |
| West Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass | North 1 3 4 4 NT 7 | East Pass Dbl Pass Pass All Pass | South 1 1 Pass 4 5 |
After three routine bids, Passell, North, appears to have lost his mind when he jumped to three hearts. No, this was an expert gadget called a “splinter bid” which indicated a trump fit with partner’s last named suit (here, spades) and a singleton or void in the suit bid. East doubled (a silly double) and Seamon, South, bided his time by passing it around to North, who showed his club support. South then retreated to four spades.
North, of course, intended to bid a slam all along, but there was method to his devious route: He needed to know which specific aces his partner held. If North had used the Blackwood convention directly over one club or one spade, the two-ace response would leave North in a quandary. (One of the aces might be the heart ace.) This is the reason that Blackwood is not recommended with a void suit.
But now the situation was different. On an expert plateau, South had two opportunities to show the heart ace: He could have redoubled when East doubled, or he could have cue-bid four hearts over four clubs. South did neither. Therefore, when South showed two aces in response to Blackwood, he had to hold the black aces. North chose the grand slam in clubs as a precaution against a possible spade loser. How right he was!
Seamon played accurately. He ruffed the heart lead, crossed to the club 10, ruffed a heart (high), club to the jack, and ruffed his last heart. He then claimed the balance since his two spade losers could be discarded on dummy’s diamonds.
“Nothing Hand” Is Important Lesson in Card PlayNorth’s raise to two spades on three small trumps is correct in a five-card-major system. He could be sure of a combined holding of at least eight spades, so it was his duty to inform partner of the trump fit. (A response of one notrump would deny three spades in this method.)
14. 2 by South
| E-W Vul | 6 5 4 A 4 Q J 4 3 10 9 6 2 | |
| A 2 K Q 9 7 9 7 2 J 8 7 5 | | K 8 3 10 6 5 2 A 10 8 6 Q 4 |
| Lead: K | Q J 10 9 7 J 8 3 K 5 A K 3 |
| West Pass | North 2 | East Pass All Pass | South 1 |
West led the heart king and declarer could account for six almost certain winners: the heart ace, club ace-king, and three natural trump tricks. In my bridge teaching I call these “top tricks.” The likely sources of additional tricks are the heart suit (by ruffing in dummy) and the diamond suit (by driving out the enemy ace).
Beginner Bob won the heart ace and immediately returned a heart since the ruff in dummy appeared most urgent. Nice try, but West was on the ball — he shifted to the spade ace, then a spade to East’s king and another spade to devoid dummy of trumps. Bob next led the diamond king and East made a fine play — he did not win his ace until the second round. This left dummy high and dry, and Bob went down one.
Average Ann realized the defense could counter an attempt to ruff a heart so she tried a different tack. She won the heart ace and immediately led a diamond. If East hopped with the ace, Ann would unblock her king (to keep an entry to dummy); but East played low and the king won. A diamond was returned to the jack and ace, but East now shifted to a trump and the same scenario was reached. Down one.
“Here I come to save the day!” sang Master Mouse (nephew of Mighty Mouse) as he ducked the opening heart lead. The defense now was stymied. If trumps were cleared, he would drive out the diamond ace while dummy had the heart ace as an entry. Otherwise, he would ruff a heart.
Simple… once you think of it.
Weird Deal Spawns Seesaw Battle in NotrumpThe above came to mind as I constructed today’s deal, which is not from actual play. The best contract is five clubs, which is simple to make. Five diamonds can be made with careful play — declarer must establish a discard in clubs by a loser-on-loser play and a ruffing finesse. But I will force you to play three notrump, which might be reached after the auction shown.
15. 3 NT by South
| None Vul | A K 2 A 5 4 — Q J 10 9 8 7 6 | |
| 7 6 Q J 10 9 8 Q 6 5 A 5 4 | | Q J 10 9 8 7 6 4 3 2 K 3 2 |
| Lead: Q | 5 4 3 K 3 2 A K J 10 9 8 7 — |
| West 1 All Pass | North 1 3 | East Pass Pass | South 1 3 NT |
West leads the heart queen and you pause to consider your chances. Establishing the diamond suit is pointless for lack of entries to your hand, so your eye is on the clubs. If you win the heart in dummy and lead a club, East will win and return a heart to establish West’s suit while he has a club entry. So you duck the first trick. Good start.
If West continues hearts you are in clover, so the diabolical fellow shifts to a spade. Now you have the same problem that you had in hearts. If you win the first spade, West will take the first club lead and return a spade to establish East’s suit. Therefore, you duck the second trick as well.
Now you got them. If East returns a spade (or a heart), you can drive out the top clubs. The defenders cannot enjoy the long cards in either major suit because of communication problems. But wait! East now can shift to diamond. You cannot afford to lose a diamond — that will give the enemy five tricks — so you win the king, cross to dummy and lead a club. East wins the club to lead another diamond, the finesse loses and West cashes the club ace… and you are history.
Curious deal. In order to defeat three notrump, the defense must lead all four suits.
Perseverance Is Rewarded By Squeeze PlayPoore, South, overcalled East’s opening bid with one spade and Chazen, North, responded one notrump. South then jumped to three spades and North raised to four, expecting South to have more extreme distribution. South would have been better advised to raise one notrump to three notrump because her hand was nearly balanced and the strong spade suit would provide tricks. But then there would be no story.
16. 4 by South
| Both Vul | Q J 7 5 4 A J 8 7 K 9 8 5 | |
| 9 7 6 Q 10 9 3 10 9 6 Q 10 4 | | 5 3 2 A K 2 K Q 3 2 J 7 3 |
| Lead: 10 | A K J 10 8 4 8 6 5 4 A 6 2 |
| West Pass Pass | North 1 NT 4 | East 1 Pass All Pass | South 1 3 |
West started with the diamond 10, jack, queen; then East shifted to the heart king. When West signaled with the 10, East played the ace and another heart, South ruffing. Declarer had nine obvious tricks — six spades, two clubs and a diamond — but the prospects for a 10th were poore (sorry about that). There was a slim chance of establishing a diamond trick by ruffing; but failing that, the only hope was a squeeze.
Declarer crossed to the spade queen, cashed the diamond ace, and ruffed a diamond to return to her hand. Trumps were drawn in two more rounds to reach a four-card ending in which dummy kept king-small in clubs and a loser in each red suit. West held the high heart and three clubs; East held the high diamond and three clubs.
South next led her last trump — the hallmark of a squeeze play — and each defender was caught in a bind. West had to let go a club to keep the heart queen. Dummy then threw the heart jack, which had served its purpose. East was obliged to keep the diamond king, so he too let go a club. Finally, a club to the king, back to the ace, and the club six won the last trick — while the defenders glared at each other in disbelief.
Notwithstanding Poore’s fine effort, it should be noted that East could defeat the squeeze by leading a club at trick two.
“Table Presence” Is Key To Tournament SuccessPartnered with Bernie Chazen of Tamarac, Gabbai added another notch to her gun by capturing the Open Pairs at the Robert Reynolds Memorial Tournament held two weeks ago in Miami. Today’s deal contributed to their victory.
17. 3 NT by South
| Both Vul | A 7 3 2 J 10 7 9 5 4 K Q 6 | |
| 8 6 A K 9 3 8 3 J 9 7 4 2 | | J 10 9 4 8 4 2 K Q J 6 2 8 |
| Lead: 4 | K Q 5 Q 6 5 A 10 7 A 10 5 3 |
| West Pass | North 3 NT | East All Pass | South 1 NT |
Gabbai, South, opened one notrump (15 to 17 points) and North raised directly to game. Observe that North made no effort to locate a four-four spade fit via the Stayman convention because of his flat distribution. As I often tell my students, “Don’t look for a suit contract when you can’t ruff anything.”
West led his fourth-best club and declarer took advantage by letting it ride to her 10. There were eight top tricks — four clubs (thanks to the lead), three spades and one diamond — and declarer set about establishing a ninth by leading a heart. West hopped with the king and returned a club to dummy’s queen, then the heart jack was led to the ace.
West now was aware of the futility in clubs and he shifted to a diamond to East’s jack. Declarer could have won this and made her contract, but tournaments are not won by being lazy. With nine tricks you look for 10; with 10 you look for 11… The spade suit offered the only chance for a 10th trick, and a squeeze would be necessary if that suit did not break evenly.
Squeeze plays usually require that declarer can win all but one of the remaining tricks, so South ducked the first diamond lead. In squeeze terminology this is called “correcting the count.”
After winning the second diamond, declarer unblocked the club king then returned to her hand with a heart to cash the club ace. East was forced to abandon his spade stopper in order to keep the high diamond, and declarer won the rest of the tricks.
Diplomat Hotel To Host Tournament This WeekAttracting new players is a major goal of the American Contract Bridge League, so special events have been planned exclusively for novices. For more information contact the Novice Chairman, Ted Linville, at 372-5109 or the Partnership Chairman, Erwin Cutler, at 971-3887. Try it! You’ll like it.
Today’s deal caused quite a sensation when it occurred in the last Gold Coast Regional. Cliff Russell of Miami was South, and he jumped off the starting block with an unorthodox four-heart bid. One heart would be the normal call, but Russell is a clever, tactical bidder who likes to create action. West could not resist bidding his eight-card spade suit despite only three points, and North tried five diamonds after some thought. When East doubled, North retreated to five hearts and East echoed his sentiments about that contract.
18. 5 x by South
| Both Vul | J A A Q 10 9 6 5 A Q J 5 3 | |
| K 10 9 8 7 6 3 2 — 4 2 8 6 4 | | — J 8 6 4 2 K J 7 3 K 10 9 7 |
| Lead: 10 | A Q 5 4 K Q 10 9 7 5 3 8 2 |
| West 4 Pass | North 5 5 | East Dbl Dbl | South 4 Pass All Pass |
West led a spade, ruffed by East, and the heart return went to dummy’s ace. East appeared smug and chipper, so declarer decided to play him for all the missing high cards. The club ace was won, followed by the club queen which was covered by East and ruffed. This made the club jack good, but declarer still was short of his contract.
Russell found the answer. He led the king, queen and another heart to East as dummy discarded three diamonds. East was forced to return a club (else lead into the ace-queen of diamonds), and this gave declarer an extra entry to dummy. After winning the jack, a club ruff established the fifth club and the diamond ace provided the entry to cash it — making five hearts doubled, as East turned to shades of purple.
The guilty party was really West. He asked for trouble when he bid with such a weak hand.
Miami Duo Will Represent Florida at NationalsRobert Rosen and Andy O’Grady (this “Andy” is a lady) of Miami took top honors, adding another victory to their long string of successes as a partnership. Today’s deal contributed to their win.
19. 4 by South
| N-S Vul | A Q J 5 3 3 2 K Q J A K 3 | |
| K 7 6 8 5 4 A 9 8 7 6 Q J | | 10 A J 10 9 7 6 5 3 10 9 8 6 |
| Lead: 4 | 9 8 4 2 K Q 10 4 2 7 5 4 2 |
| West Pass Pass | North Dbl 4 | East 3 Pass All Pass | South Pass 3 |
East tried to throw a monkey wrench into the Rosen-O’Grady machine with a frisky three-heart preempt. This was passed around to Rosen, North, who made a takeout double and O’Grady, South, dutifully bid her four-card spade suit. North continued to game with his fine hand.
The play began with a heart lead to the ace and another heart to the king. Declarer took advantage of the entry to her hand by taking the spade finesse, noting the drop of East’s 10. The diamond king was led to West’s ace and the diamond return was won in dummy.
Declarer would have liked to take the spade finesse again; but alas, there was no way to reach the South hand. The remaining diamond winner and both top clubs were cashed, then declarer had two options: (1) Exit with a club or (2) Exit with ace and another spade.
Line (1) would succeed if the outstanding clubs divided evenly, since the red-suit return would allow declarer to reach her hand to take the spade finesse. Line (2) would succeed if West held a doubleton club, since he would be compelled to give declarer a ruff and discard.
The decision was no guess for O’Grady. She knew that East held six hearts (because West followed up-the-line), two diamonds and one spade. Therefore, East held four clubs and this dictated line (2). West was thrown in with the spade king, and the heart return allowed declarer to discard dummy’s last club and ruff in her hand to make her contract.
That is the way tournaments are won.
Declarer Avoids Trap To Land Delicate Slam
20. 6 by South
| None Vul | A K Q 3 2 Q 10 7 4 A 10 5 2 | |
| 7 8 3 2 K J 9 6 5 2 J 9 4 | | J 10 8 6 5 5 4 10 8 K 8 7 6 |
| Lead: 7 | 9 4 A K J 9 7 6 A Q 3 Q 3 |
| West Pass Pass Pass | North 1 4 NT 6 | East Pass Pass All Pass | South 1 3 5 |
Julian Gabbai, South, opened one heart and Seamon, North, responded one spade. South jumped to three hearts to show his extra strength, and this prompted North to bid a slam after routinely checking for aces with the Blackwood convention. Six hearts was an excellent contract, but the foul distribution of the East-West cards placed it in jeopardy. Gabbai had to do play precisely to bring it home.
West led a spade, taken by the ace, and declarer could count 11 easy tricks. It was apparent from West’s failure to lead an unbid suit that his lead was probably a singleton; so declarer rejected the routine play of drawing trumps and establishing the spade suit. Instead he tried the diamond finesse, which was relatively safe because it kept East off lead.
If West had returned a club or a diamond, declarer could score his 12th trick with a diamond ruff; but West led a heart, setting up a trap: If declarer now tried to ruff a diamond, he would be stranded in dummy and forced to surrender a spade ruff. Gabbai was not about to fall for that, so he continued to draw trumps — in fact he led all but one of his trumps, discarding three clubs from dummy.
In the meantime East was forced down to six cards, and he kept J-10-8-6 in spades and K-8 in clubs. East still had everything under control; but declarer next played the diamond ace, and this was the cruncher. If East let go a spade, dummy’s spade suit could be established with one ruff; so East threw a club. Declarer took the top spades (throwing a diamond) and then laid down the club ace. Bingo! Making six hearts.
Summer Tournament Deal Deserves a Second Look
21. 4 x by South
| Both Vul | Q 10 6 5 4 K 4 6 5 8 7 6 2 | |
| 7 Q 10 9 8 J 10 9 8 2 5 4 3 | | A J 9 7 6 5 Q 4 3 A K 10 9 |
| Lead: J | K 8 3 2 A J 3 2 A K 7 Q J |
| West Pass Pass | North 2 4 | East Pass Dbl | South 1 NT 3 All Pass |
West led the diamond jack to the king, and declarer played a low spade to the queen and ace. East cashed his club winners and exited with a club to wait for his second trump trick.
I commented that the North-South bidding was reasonable, and that four spades was a fair contract — essentially requiring an even spade break. East was lucky the spade 10 was in dummy; else declarer, informed by the double, might finesse him out of the jack. But four spades could not be made on the actual deal. East’s jack of trumps was unfinessable.
Or was it? Did East really own a “piece of the rock?” I recently looked at that scrap of paper more carefully and was surprised to notice this line of play: Win the diamond and lead a club to East. Assume East cashes his second club and returns a diamond. Ruff a diamond; ruff a club; heart king; heart ace; and ruff a heart as both defender’s follow suit. Lead dummy’s last club and ruff with the eight to prevent an overruff by West.
The stage is now set. North remains with Q-10-6 in spades, East has A-J-9, and South has K-3 and a heart. Lead the heart and ruff with the queen. If East overruffs, he is endplayed in spades; if he underruffs, South still must win the spade king. Either way East makes only one spade trick — his ace.
In fairness, if declarer is going to play with all that brilliance, so might East. After winning the first club trick, he can defeat the contract by leading trumps (and continuing when he wins the second club). This sacrifices his chance for two trump tricks, but it stops declarer from ruffing two clubs.
As I said, “You can’t make four spades.”
Moysian Fit Provides Only Chance For Game
22. 4 by South
| Both Vul | K Q 7 2 A 9 5 4 3 K 10 7 4 | |
| 9 6 5 Q 10 4 K J 9 7 2 6 3 | | J 10 4 J 7 3 A Q 10 8 6 A 2 |
| Lead: 7 | A 8 3 K 8 6 2 5 Q J 9 8 5 |
| West 2 All Pass | North 1 2 | East 1 Pass | South 1 4 |
North’s opening bid was on the skimpy side, and his decision to raise hearts with only three trumps was questionable. These actions resulted in a four-heart contract with only seven trumps, one less than desirable in a trump fit. The four-three trump fit — called a “Moysian” fit in tribute to the late Alphonse Moyse, a great proponent of these contracts — requires delicate play and reasonable (if not lucky) breaks.
The defense began with two rounds of diamonds, South ruffing, then a club was led to the king and ace. East returned a club and South faced the problem of drawing the enemy trumps while limiting his loss to one trump trick. This required a three-three break, but even then he had problems. It would not suffice to lead the ace, king and another trump because that would leave the opponents on lead to cash their diamonds. South made the key play of ducking a heart, after which he could win the rest of the tricks with any return. Nicely played.
Did you spot the winning defense? The Moysian trump fit will collapse if East, after winning the club ace, returns a third round of diamonds. No matter which hand South ruffs in, he will be unable to duck a trump successfully — because a fourth round of diamonds prevents him from drawing the enemy trumps. Declarer is “ruff-sluffed” to death.
Observe that North-South cannot make game in three notrump, nor in five clubs (their only normal trump fit). Curiously, though, the Moysian fit in spades plays very well (11 tricks can be made after a diamond lead), thanks to the stronger trumps — but bidding to four spades is not so easy.
The Wizard of “Ozzie” Will Long Be RememberedWhat impresses me the most about this man was his unselfish, devotion to our country. At the outbreak of World War II he voluntarily curtailed his bridge career to rejoin the Navy, where he served as a commander in Intelligence. His expertise as a code-breaker was invaluable to the Allied cause. He did so again during the Korean War, and was a staff member at the final armistice conference.
I had the pleasure of being a teammate of Ozzie in his last major bridge victory, the 1983 Reisinger Cup, from which today’s deal arises. Edgar Kaplan of New York City was North, and he played the role of straight man as Ozzie engineered a clever bidding coup.
23. 6 NT by South
| Both Vul | A K 8 7 6 5 A 3 A 3 10 5 4 | |
| J J 9 7 6 2 Q 10 4 K J 8 7 | | Q 9 3 8 4 J 9 8 5 2 Q 9 3 |
| Lead: 6 | 10 4 2 K Q 10 5 K 7 6 A 6 2 |
| West Pass Pass Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 2 4 5 5 NT | East Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass | South 2 3 NT 4 5 6 NT |
Ozzie began with a lead-inhibiting two-club response and then jumped to his favorite contract. North thought he was worth a club raise — after all, Ozzie might have held a real suit — and South retreated to four spades. North liked his slam chances so he made an ace-showing bid in diamonds, over which South declined again. When North made one more try with five notrump (natural), Ozzie could not resist bidding the impossible slam.
Fortunately for us, “impossible” is not a part of Ozzie’s vocabulary, as he quickly demonstrated. Did you notice the unbid suit? That’s right. Hearts! West, as would you or I, led a heart into the wizard’s parlor and 12 tricks were forthcoming after giving up a spade to East. The only lead to let him make it, to be sure, but Ozzie engineered the whole thing… kind of reminds me of Boulder Dam or the Panama Canal.
Lesson Hand Gives Tips on Planning and ControlNorth should open one diamond in a five-card-major system, and it is South’s duty to mention his four-card major no matter how weak — else, a four-four trump fit might be lost. North’s hand revalues to 17 points (three for the singleton), so he gives a jump raise to invite game. South should accept, reluctantly perhaps, with his nine-point hand.
24. 4 by South
| None Vul | A K 4 3 7 5 4 3 A Q J 7 2 | |
| Q J 9 A 10 8 8 3 Q 10 8 4 3 | | 5 2 K J 9 2 10 9 6 5 K J 7 |
| Lead: 4 | 10 8 7 6 Q 6 K 4 2 A 9 6 5 |
| West Pass All Pass | North 1 3 | East Pass Pass | South 1 4 |
After the club lead from West, declarer should take a moment to plan the play. I continually emphasize the practice of counting winners, as I am convinced that this is more accurate than counting losers. Winners take tricks; losers do not. First, declarer should count three trump winners, i.e., the tricks declarer will win on “power” (not counting ruffs) assuming a normal, three-two break. Add to that four diamond winners and one club winner to bring the total to eight. Two more tricks in the form of club ruffs will see declarer home, but timing is the essence.
Many players take their club ruffs prematurely, weakening the dummy’s trumps. Then, when it comes time to run the diamonds, West will ruff the third round and dummy’s last diamond will go to sleep. Zzzzz. Okay, wake up.
Another popular attempt is to cash the two top trumps at once and then play diamonds. This will work if West is lured to ruff with his master trump, but a smart defender will discard. Later West can gain the lead in hearts to cash the spade queen, which leaves declarer a trick short. Do you see the light?
Declarer must lead one round of hearts early. The opponents can take their second heart if they want. But regardless of the defense, declarer will next cash his top trumps, run the diamonds (throwing his last heart if still held) and crossruff. West can ruff when he pleases.
Spirited Bidding Leads To Doubled Contract
25. 4 x by South
| Both Vul | Q 8 7 K Q J 10 5 8 6 5 4 3 — | |
| J 9 4 7 6 2 10 9 Q 9 7 4 3 | | 3 2 A 9 8 K Q J 7 A K 10 2 |
| Lead: 10 | A K 10 6 5 4 3 A 2 J 8 6 5 |
| West Pass 3 | North 2 4 | East Dbl Dbl | South 1 Pass All Pass |
West led the diamond 10 to South’s ace, and a heart was led: deuce, king, eight. East knew to hold up his ace because West’s play showed an odd number of hearts — obviously three. The heart queen was continued to the ace, then East cashed a diamond. East continued a third round of diamonds, ruffed and overruffed by West; but that was the defenders’ last trick. After ruffing the club return, declarer was able to draw trumps ending in dummy and discard his remaining club losers on dummy’s hearts.
A stronger defense is for East to return a club after cashing his diamond trick. This shortens the dummy’s trumps and impedes declarer from enjoying the long hearts. The play becomes complicated at this juncture, but my analysis shows that declarer can succeed as follows: Cash a heart then continue with another. If East ruffs, overruff with the king, ruff a club, cash the spade queen and discard your last club on the heart as West ruffs with his natural trump trick. If East discards on the fourth round of hearts, throw a club, ruff the club return, cash the spade queen then ruff a red suit high to draw the remaining trumps.
Defensive Holdup Play Foils Declarer
26. 3 NT by South
| Both Vul | 7 6 9 5 3 2 10 4 A 10 9 8 5 | |
| Q 10 8 2 6 4 K J 9 5 3 2 3 | | J 9 3 Q J 10 8 Q 6 Q 7 4 2 |
| Lead: 5 | A K 5 4 A K 7 A 8 7 K J 6 |
| West Pass Pass | North Pass 3 3 NT | East Pass Pass All Pass | South 2 NT 3 |
She continued, “West led a diamond and I took my ace on the third round as dummy and East discarded a spade. I played the club king, then the jack which I ducked to East; but he also ducked and I never got the long clubs. What could I have done?”
I asked what she did next.
“I led a club to the ace and gave up a club; but I couldn’t get to dummy to win the last club.”
That’s where she went wrong. Once East made the good play of ducking the second club, it was futile to continue that suit with no outside entry to dummy. Declarer now had eight tricks and there were three chances for a ninth: (1) Lead the ace, king and another heart hoping to establish dummy’s fourth heart, (2) lead the ace, king and another spade hoping to establish your fourth spade, or (3) try to endplay East and force him to lead into dummy’s clubs.
Line (1) is a long shot; it requires not only a three-three break in hearts, but also that East would have to win the third round, else West would cash his diamonds. Line (2) is no better; it requires that East has thrown a spade from four cards (a dubious discard) and that East must win the third round. The right choice is line (3), which requires only that East has four or more hearts — an excellent chance after his spade discard. Best of all, it works.
Cash both top spades and both top hearts, then exit with a heart which East must win. After cashing his fourth heart, East must lead from his Q-7 of clubs into dummy’s A-10. Or to put it another way: If East doesn’t want his club queen early on — no problem. Let him eat it for dessert.
South Falls Into Trap… For a Lousy OvertrickThe bidding was standard. South’s jump to three diamonds was forcing to game, and North bid his heart suit — mainly to show a stopper. South was happy to hear this and he concluded the auction in three notrump.
27. 3 NT by South
| Both Vul | 4 3 A Q 8 6 A 10 9 6 K 7 4 | |
| Q J 10 7 J 9 5 4 7 5 9 8 5 | | K 9 6 2 K 10 7 Q 4 2 10 6 3 |
| Lead: Q | A 8 5 3 2 K J 8 3 A Q J 2 |
| West Pass All Pass | North 1 3 | East Pass Pass | South 3 3 NT |
West led the spade queen: three, nine, five; then continued with the spade 10 on which East played the king as South ducked again. The spade two was returned to South’s ace and dummy let go a heart. Declarer was anxious to keep West off lead so he cashed the diamond king and led the jack for a finesse, losing to East. This was sound technique because West might have started with five spades, in which case East would have none left. If West held only four spades, the suit was not dangerous.
East was in no hurry to book declarer, so he baited a trap: He did not return his last spade. Instead he exited with a diamond, taken in dummy as West threw a club. South now had his contract — one spade, one heart, three diamonds and four clubs — but he was convinced that East held no more spades and he saw a “no-risk” play for an overtrick. He returned to his hand with a club and took the heart finesse. Ouch! East pounced on that like a cat on a goldfish, and the spade return scuttled the laydown contract.
South deserved every bit of criticism he received. There is no excuse at rubber bridge for risking one’s contract for an overtrick. Actually, declarer did have a risk-free play for the overtrick by cashing all his winners ending in the South hand. With two cards left, the heart finesse would be logical (and safe) only if West discards two spades — and that cannot happen as the cards lie. Therefore, the heart finesse is illogical.
Par Contest Challenges Collegiate PlayersAn unusual feature of this contest is the use of “par award” scoring. Instead of randomly dealt hands, each deal is created by an expert (in this case, Jeff Rubens of New York) to pose a challenge in the bidding and play. Contestants earn points by bidding accurately then, regardless of the bidding, a designated contract must be played. Additional par points are available for the declaring or defending side, but it is not known in advance which side will be tested.
28. 3 NT by South
| None Vul | 9 8 10 6 A J 7 K Q 5 4 3 2 | |
| A J 7 6 3 Q Q 8 3 J 9 8 6 | | 10 5 4 2 A 9 8 7 5 4 10 9 10 |
| Lead: 6 | K Q K J 3 2 K 6 5 4 2 A 7 |
| West Pass | North 3 NT | East All Pass | South 1 NT |
The lopsided high-card arrangement of the South hand suggests a one-notrump opening despite the two doubletons, then North should raise directly to three notrump. This is the “official bidding,” but North-South players receive the full par award as long as they reach the same contract.
Cover the East-West hands and decide how you would play three notrump after West leads the spade six: eight, 10, king. Did you try to run the clubs first? Did you try the diamond finesse? (Okay wise guy, I saw you peeking!) Either play might succeed, but the object is to combine them in some way — two chances are better than one.
Congratulations if you found the correct par play of winning the club king (or queen) first and then back to your ace. If the clubs break three-two, the rest of the clubs will be good and you can forget about the diamond finesse. If the clubs don’t break, you will lead a low diamond to the jack hoping to win five diamond tricks for your contract.
Note the trap of winning two clubs ending in dummy. If that suit fails to break, it will be impossible to win five diamond tricks. Try it as the cards lie and see.
Is Your Game Up To Par? Test Your Skill
29. 6 by South
| None Vul | K J 6 4 7 A 5 3 Q 7 6 4 2 | |
| A 10 9 8 4 3 10 4 K J 9 8 3 | | 7 5 6 5 2 K Q J 9 8 6 2 10 |
| Lead: 10 | Q 3 2 A K Q J 10 9 8 7 A 5 |
| West Pass All Pass | North 5 | East 3 Pass | South 4 6 |
The “official bidding” is shown. South’s jump to four hearts shows a good hand — roughly within one trick of his bid. This is based on the sound bridge axiom: Never preempt over a preempt. Therefore, North’s hand is worth a slam try with 10 useful points. Five diamonds showed the ace, and South took the plunge to slam because of his completely solid trump suit. North and South each bid aggressively, but that is a winning strategy in the long run.
West leads the diamond 10. Eleven tricks are easy, but how do you make 12? A three-three spade break will not suffice because the defender with the ace would hold up until the third round, leaving the dummy without an entry. Playing on clubs is futile because you must lose two tricks (barring the miracle of a singleton king). What is your plan? Remember, your college is depending on you!
To gain the full par award you must ruff a diamond at trick two and draw the enemy trumps, discarding only clubs from dummy. Next lead the spade queen (not a low spade) then: (1) If West wins and returns a spade, he can be squeezed in the black suits by leading all your trumps… play this out to verify. (2) If West ducks, lead a spade to the jack as West must duck again. Return to your hand with a diamond ruff (note the importance of retaining that card) to lead your last spade. West must take his ace now (else lose it) and he is endplayed — he must put you in dummy with a spade or lead a club from his king.
Give Your Opponents a Chance To Go Wrong, 4 or 4 ) would show good trump support with a singleton or void in the suit bid. The complete structure allows responder to describe his hand more precisely, thus increasing the accuracy of slam bidding.
30. 4 by South
| N-S Vul | K 6 K Q J 10 4 Q 8 K 7 6 3 | |
| J 8 4 3 5 A J 7 6 Q J 8 4 | | 10 9 7 8 2 K 10 9 5 2 10 9 2 |
| Lead: 3 | A Q 5 2 A 9 7 6 3 4 3 A 5 |
| West Pass Pass | North 3 NT 4 | East Pass All Pass | South 1 4 |
South had mild slam interest so he rebid four clubs to show the ace — this was not the Gerber convention. North used good judgment to return to four hearts because of the lack of aces and the absence of diamond control. As readily seen, six hearts has no chance if the defenders lead diamonds.
Against four hearts West guessed wrong and led the spade three. The contract of course was laydown — in fact 12 tricks were now a cinch because one of dummy’s diamonds could be thrown on the third spade winner. Most players would draw trumps, take their top spades to discard a diamond, ruff the fourth spade, concede a diamond, and claim the rest … not much to it.
Duplicate bridge, however, is not an idle contest; one should not rest on one’s laurels. Our declarer reasoned that the spade lead was probably normal so almost everyone would make 12 tricks. Was there a way to win 13? Probably not against perfect defense; but perfect defense is usually the exception, not the rule. Whenever possible, force the opponents to discard — give them a chance to make a mistake.
Declarer won the spade king. In order to put pressure on the opponents it was necessary to ruff out the clubs and then lead dummy’s trumps. The sequence was: heart king, club ace, club king, club ruff (high), heart to queen, club ruff, heart to jack, heart, heart. As West would you have discarded your diamond ace to hold spades? This West didn’t and declarer won the rest.
Well-Reasoned Gamble Produces Winning Result
31. 3 NT by South
| None Vul | 7 5 3 2 A Q 8 7 2 5 3 9 8 | |
| A Q 10 9 8 6 J 3 4 Q 7 5 2 | | J 4 10 9 6 4 K 10 2 K 10 6 4 |
| Lead: 10 | K K 5 A Q J 9 8 7 6 A J 3 |
| West 2 All Pass | North Pass | East Pass | South 3 NT |
A different scenario unfolded at the other table. West began with a weak two-bid in spades, which was passed around to South, whose hand was a bit strong for three diamonds. A takeout double was unattractive with just two cards in the unbid major. Notrump prospects, however, looked good if North had some assistance in spades or diamonds; and since there was no way to discover this intelligently, South gambled on the most likely contract.
The three-notrump bid may startle some people, but it was good, practical bidding. The risk is not as great as it appears. South’s singleton king is almost as good a stopper as K-x because West, if he leads spades, would not lead the ace; and if West leads some other suit, declarer may be able to scamper home with nine tricks aided by the diamond suit. Further, there is the chance that North also has a spade honor.
What would you lead against three notrump? Unless your name is Clark Kent, your honest answer would not be the spade ace. In the great majority of deals you should retain the ace as an entry in case partner gains the lead.
After winning the spade king, declarer realized he needed the diamond king onside. Even a three-three heart break would yield only eight tricks without the diamond finesse. Therefore, he used his heart entries carefully to cater to the likely three-one diamond break. The heart five was led to the queen to take one finesse, then declarer overtook the heart king with the ace to finesse again. This produced 11 tricks and a miserable West.
“Finding the Queen” Decides Vanderbilt MatchMy team (Bill Root, Edgar Kaplan and Norman Kay) fell by the wayside early, thanks in part to today’s deal. As South I opened one club and Root, North, responded one heart. East overcalled one spade, I passed, and West decided to muddle the auction with a tactical one-notrump bid (more about this later). North cue-bid two spades, I showed my secondary heart support, and North bid four clubs. Despite my minimum opening bid, the location of my high cards was excellent so I bid four diamonds to show the ace. West made a lead-directing double, and North closed out the proceedings with six clubs.
32. 6 by South
| None Vul | — A J 8 2 Q J 4 A J 10 9 8 3 | |
| 9 8 7 5 2 Q 9 5 K 8 2 6 5 | | A K Q 6 4 7 6 4 9 7 6 5 2 |
| Lead: 5 | J 10 3 K 10 3 A 10 3 K Q 7 4 |
| West Pass 1 NT Pass Dbl | North 1 2 4 6 | East 1 Pass Pass All Pass | South 1 Pass 3 4 |
The contract was excellent, basically requiring a successful finesse in either hearts or diamonds. West’s double of four diamonds placed that king offside, but the heart finesse could be taken either way. It was like the children’s game of “Whose got the button?” with the outcome of the match in the balance.
I was quite aware that West’s one-notrump bid was phony — he had no club stopper and there were too many spades outstanding. This tactic is common in expert circles with a good trump fit and poor playing strength. Therefore, the heart queen could not be located from the bidding.
I tried to obtain some clues about the distribution: spade ruff, club to king, spade ruff, club to queen, spade ruff. The spades appeared to be five-five; so when East turned up with the singleton club, he was more likely to have heart length — especially considering West’s double of four diamonds. Accordingly, I won the heart ace and led low to the ten. Ouch! If West had held the doubleton Q-9, I still would have made my contract (West would be endplayed); but that was not to be.
Grand Slam Is Cold But Small Slam Goes Down
33. 6 by South
| None Vul | Q 3 A K J Q 4 K Q 9 6 5 4 | |
| 9 6 4 9 8 6 5 4 3 2 5 8 2 | | K J 8 5 2 Q 10 K 8 3 10 7 3 |
| Lead: 4 | A 10 7 7 A J 10 9 7 6 2 A J |
| West Pass Pass Pass Pass | North 2 2 4 6 | East Pass Pass Pass All Pass | South 1 2 3 4 |
As readily seen, declarer has 17 top tricks — seven diamonds (with the finesse), six clubs, three hearts (with the queen falling) and one spade — which is four more than he could ever need. Then what’s the problem? Even a beginner could win 12 of those tricks!
Not so fast. Declarer is not privy to all four hands; he must choose the line of play which offers the best chance of success based on the information he has. Several reasonable plays exist: (1) Cross to dummy with a heart and take the diamond finesse. (2) Cash the diamond ace then, if the king does not fall, take the heart finesse. (3) Cash the diamond ace, two top hearts, then run the clubs (except lead the heart jack first when East’s queen drops).
Which is best? If the contract were seven diamonds, line (1) is a standout. With nine diamonds, the finesse is by far the best chance of avoiding a loser in that suit. But the contract is only six diamonds. Let’s figure the percentages.
Line (1) is basically 50-50 — if East has the diamond king you succeed; otherwise you fail. Line (2) calculates to about 56 percent — it works if the diamond king is singleton (12.5 percent) or if West has the heart queen (half of the remaining 87.5 percent). Line (3) is harder to analyze (and I will not attempt to do so); but intuitively it must be less than 50 percent.
The bridge gods were cruel. Line (1) or (3) will work; but line (2), the proper play, fails — in fact declarer was defeated two tricks. This brings out the curious fact that a good player would make seven diamonds, but go down in six.
Four Hearts Makes Despite Four Losers
34. 4 by South
| Both Vul | A 7 3 K 8 4 3 K 10 6 2 K 5 | |
| J 2 A 7 2 Q 9 7 3 Q 8 6 3 | | Q 10 9 6 Q 9 A 8 5 4 J 9 4 |
| Lead: 2 | K 8 5 4 J 10 6 5 J A 10 7 2 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 2 3 | East Pass Pass Pass | South 1 2 4 |
After three routine bids, South, optimistically perhaps, decided to try for game. Two spades showed length in spades and basically asked North to go to four hearts with a maximum raise, or return to three hearts with a minimum. North passed the buck with three clubs, meaning… who knows?… and South ended the suspense with four hearts.
West found the best lead of a low trump and declarer hopped with dummy’s king. This play was based on the sound logic that a defender might lead from A-x-x in trumps, but never would lead from Q-x-x. Declarer crossed to his hand with the spade king to lead the diamond jack: queen, king, ace. East cashed the heart queen, then returned a diamond to dummy’s 10 as South discarded a spade.
It appears that declarer must lose four tricks — two trumps, one diamond and one spade — but that is an illusion. Declarer makes his contract simply by cashing his remaining top tricks, and then crossruffing clubs and diamonds. The 10 tricks consist of two spades, two clubs, one diamond, one high trump (king), two club ruffs and two diamond ruffs. The apparent inconsistency — four losers yet 10 winners — emphasizes the importance of counting winners when planning the play. Only therein lies the truth. In actuality, two of declarer’s losers are telescoped into one; West’s trump ace and East’s spade queen collide at trick 13, when there is only one trick to be won.
Could the contract have been defeated? Yes! An inspired West could seal declarer’s fate with a spectacular play: Overtake the heart queen with the ace to lead a third trump. This sacrifices a trump winner, but it limits declarer to a total of four trump tricks (counting ruffs) instead of the five actually won.
Timing Is the Key To Successful Defense
35. 3 NT by South
| None Vul | A 10 9 8 K Q 3 2 J 10 9 8 7 | |
| 7 6 5 J 10 9 8 5 4 A 6 5 4 | | 4 3 2 7 6 5 A K 8 7 6 K Q |
| Lead: J | K Q J A 4 3 2 Q J 10 9 3 2 |
| West 1 All Pass | North Dbl | East 1 Pass | South Pass 3 NT |
West led the heart jack, taken in dummy, and declarer saw an easy road to his contract: Two diamond tricks could be established to go with seven major-suit winners. The only problem was that East-West might cash their five top tricks (three clubs and two diamonds) before declarer could win his nine tricks. But fortune was smiling; East-West could win only two club tricks because the suit was blocked.
The play went routinely. A diamond was conceded to East, the heart return was won in dummy, and the remaining high diamond was driven out … nine tricks for declarer. The defenders were helpless as the cards lie.
What is peculiar about that? Nothing. But something about this deal bothered me; I was convinced there was some underlying truth that did not meet the eye. It was like the defendant in an old Perry Mason episode; all the evidence points to guilty, but you know he is innocent. After analyzing many variations, I found what I was looking for: East-West can always defeat three notrump. Mr. Mason would be pleased.
The peculiarity is that the winning defense involves nothing fancy — no spectacular plays — yet it is difficult to spot (and more difficult to verify). It is a matter of timing. West must lead a spade on the opening lead, after which any attempt by declarer can be foiled. Trust me.
Here is one of many variations: Assume declarer wins the spade king and plays a diamond. East wins both top diamonds and both top clubs, then he exits with a second spade. It appears that declarer has nine tricks, but there is no way to make them with the hearts blocked.
Forcing Pass Is Key To Find Best Trump SuitThe first round of bidding was the same at each table: South opened two clubs (strong and artificial), West overcalled in hearts, and East jumped to game as a preemptive tactic. But then the paths diverged. At one table South bid four spades, which became the final contract — down two.
36. 6 by South
| N-S Vul | 2 9 8 7 K 9 7 2 10 8 6 5 2 | |
| 8 3 A Q J 10 3 J 10 8 3 K 9 | | J 10 7 6 5 K 6 5 4 2 Q 6 3 |
| Lead: A | A K Q 9 4 — A 5 4 A Q J 7 4 |
| West 2 Pass Pass All Pass | North Pass Dbl 5 | East 4 Pass Pass | South 2 Pass 4 6 |
At the other table South was more astute. He passed! This may appear to be cowardly, but that is hardly the case. South was not willing to defend four hearts; he merely was implementing the basic principle that bridge is a partnership game. South could only guess at the best contract based on his own hand, so he elicited his partner’s help.
South’s pass was forcing. Whenever one side holds a clear majority of points — as indicated by South’s two-club opening — the opponents should not be allowed to play the hand undoubled. North was obliged to act when four hearts was passed to him; and his decision to double was sound since he lacked any suit worthy of bidding at such a high level.
South removed the double to four spades, but therein lay a fine distinction: If South had held a one-suited hand in spades, he would have bid four spades directly over four hearts. Therefore, South showed a two-suited hand. North now was aware that spades was the wrong suit so he made the flexible bid of five clubs. This allowed South to pass with clubs or correct to five diamonds with diamonds.
South’s final bid of six clubs was speculative — North might have held no points at all — but it proved to be a laydown contract. Two of dummy’s diamonds were discarded on South’s top spades, so only the club king was lost.
Take another look at South’s pass of four hearts. It marked the difference between bidding a successful slam and failing in the wrong game.
Broward County Players Win Florida ChampionshipBernie Chazen of Tamarac was on the Flight A (open) winning team. Jean Poore of Ft. Lauderdale, Gary Schneider of Plantation and Joe Klein of Pompano Beach were on the Flight B winning team. All will receive expense-paid trips to Salt Lake City in July to compete in the national championship of their divisions.
Today’s deal arose in the Flight B event. Poore, North, had a difficult hand to bid after West’s one-diamond opening, so she decided to try one of her newly learned gadgets — the Michaels cue-bid. Two diamonds showed both major suits, though not necessarily a strong hand. This convention is more practical than the strong cue-bid (which seldom occurs) as it allows one to compete with a weak, distributional hand such as: K-J-10-9-3 Q-J-10-9-2 2 3-2. It has found favor among many tournament players, myself included.
37. 6 by South
| Both Vul | A K J 9 6 5 A K Q 4 3 — 6 2 | |
| 4 J 10 8 A J 10 8 6 4 A Q 7 | | Q 10 3 9 6 5 9 7 5 2 J 10 3 |
| Lead: A | 8 7 2 7 2 K Q 3 K 9 8 5 4 |
| West 1 Pass | North 2 6 | East Pass All Pass | South 2 |
Schneider, South, was obliged to name his longer major suit; and the next thing he knew, he was in slam. Poore made a gutsy bid of six spades, but her hand was much stronger than it might have been (compare my example). I admire her courage; boldness is rewarded far more often than timidity.
Six spades is not a good contract, but it does have chances — especially with South as declarer and the club king protected from the opening lead. As the cards lie, however, it could not be made… unless … you guessed it: West led the ace of diamonds.
Schneider made short work of the play. He ruffed the diamond and cashed both top trumps to discover that East held a natural trump trick. Two top hearts were won, then a low heart was ruffed in the South hand. Dummy’s clubs then disappeared on the top diamonds — making six spades.
Quest For Overtrick Brings Out Clever Play
38. 4 by South
| None Vul | A K Q 3 Q A Q 2 A K 9 6 2 | |
| 9 2 9 8 2 J 9 8 6 10 8 7 4 | | J 7 A K 10 6 K 10 7 3 Q J 5 |
| Lead: 6 | 10 8 6 5 4 J 7 5 4 3 5 4 3 |
| West Pass Pass Pass | North Dbl 2 4 | East 1 Pass Pass All Pass | South Pass 1 2 |
The auction was identical at each table. After East’s one-diamond opening was passed around, North doubled for takeout. When this elicited a spade response, North had visions of slam; but these were dampened by the adverse placement of the ace-queen of diamonds. North cue-bid two diamonds to force South to bid again, and then discreetly settled for game in spades.
Making four spades is not a challenge; in fact it appears that declarer can win 12 tricks because the diamond loser goes away on a high club. But the par result is 11 tricks. If trumps are drawn, declarer cannot do the ruffing required for 12 tricks; if trumps are not drawn, East can ruff the fourth round of clubs with the spade jack. There’s no way around it.
Or is there? At one table declarer found the elusive 12th trick with a pretty endplay against East. The diamond lead was taken by the ace, followed by two top clubs (throwing a diamond) and a club ruff. Trumps were drawn in two rounds, then another club ruff established that suit. At this point declarer had only one trump remaining in his hand — insufficient to ruff both of dummy’s diamonds — but the stage was set.
Declarer exited with a heart to East, who was obliged to forfeit another trick. A diamond return would establish North’s queen; a heart return would establish South’s jack. Either way declarer wins 12 tricks… now if only he could go back and bid the slam.
Declarer Fails in Vain Attempt To RuffOur opponents used the popular “one-notrump forcing” response to a major-suit opening, and I overcalled two diamonds primarily as a lead director. North’s belated jump to three spades showed 11-12 points with three-card trump support, and South continued to game.
39. 4 by South
| N-S Vul | K Q 3 7 2 Q 6 5 4 A 7 6 2 | |
| 10 9 2 Q J 9 8 10 3 J 10 9 5 | | J 8 10 5 4 A K J 9 7 Q 8 4 |
| Lead: 10 | A 7 6 5 4 A K 6 3 8 2 K 3 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 NT 3 | East 2 Pass | South 1 2 4 |
West led the diamond 10, which held, and another diamond to the jack as North played low. The diamond king was ruffed and overruffed, then West shifted to the club jack. Declarer needed the rest of the tricks, and the only chance seemed to be to ruff two hearts in dummy.
Declarer won the club ace, cashed the spade king, and played three rounds of hearts, ruffing low in dummy. A&nb