Column Collection 7D01 by Richard Pavlicek
Column Collection 7D01 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!
Over 40,000 Expected in Continent-wide GameParticipants will receive an attractive booklet containing an analysis of each deal by this writer. Today’s deal is one of the most exciting from last year’s event. Sorry, no previews for this year.
The diagrammed bidding occurred at one table, though I doubt that it was unique (considering 10,000 tables). West opened one club (too strong for one notrump, too weak for two notrump) and East offered a single raise — his seven-card trump support compensated for the lack of high cards. South overcalled in spades and West jumped to three notrump, an unbeatable contract.
South summoned his last ounce of courage and bid four hearts. West doubled, North took a preference, and West doubled again — as I suspect he would until the cows come home.
1. 
4 
x by South
Both Vul | 8 4 2 Q 5 A 9 7 6 5 3 Q 9 | |
| A 9 6 A J 10 6 K 10 A K 7 4 | ![[W - E]](t.gif) | 7 5 9 8 J 4 J 10 8 6 5 3 2 |
| Lead: K | K Q J 10 3 K 7 4 3 2 Q 8 2 — |
| West 1 3 NT Dbl Dbl | North Pass Pass 4 All Pass | East 2 Pass Pass | South 2 4 Pass |
West led the club king; South ruffed and led the spade king to West’s ace. The club-ace return was ruffed, and South led a low heart to the queen as West ducked. Declarer then led the ace and another diamond to West’s king.
With the diamond suit established, West made a last-ditch effort: ace and another heart; but declarer ruffed with dummy’s eight-spot, drew trumps, and claimed the rest — making four spades. Declarer played well, but he required a defensive error. Did you spot it?
West violated an important principle, one that I continually drum into my students: Holding A-x-x in trumps, the best time to win the ace is on the second round. There are several reasons for this (too many to elaborate here), but the essence is to prevent declarer from controlling the trump suit. Declarer cannot make four spades if West ducks the first spade lead. Try it.
Declarer Changes Plan To Make Optimistic SlamToday’s deal is from last year’s event. Most North-South pairs played in three notrump, but some enterprising bidders reached the fair six-diamond slam. In my original analysis I recommended the bidding shown in the diagram.
2. 6 by South
| None Vul | — A J 10 7 5 4 Q 9 4 A 9 5 4 | |
| 10 9 8 7 K Q 9 3 J 10 5 Q 6 | | K Q 6 3 2 8 6 6 3 J 10 8 3 |
| Lead: 10 | A J 5 4 2 A K 8 7 2 K 7 2 |
| West Pass Pass Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 2 4 5 | East Pass Pass Pass Pass | South 1 1 3 NT 4 6 |
After three routine bids, North must make the first key decision. It is tempting to jump to three hearts, but the suit quality is poor; two clubs is more flexible, as it keeps the bidding lower to explore for the best contract. (Note that any new suit bid by responder is forcing.) South’s jump to three notrump shows extra strength, and it denies three hearts in a good partnership.
The ball is back in North’s court. Four diamonds is the perfect choice; it brings a diamond contract into the picture, and it allows South to bid four hearts if he held a doubleton (remember, South has denied three hearts). South is pleased to hear the diamond raise, so he bids four spades (ace showing); North shows the club ace, and South bids the slam. Optimistic? Perhaps, but you won’t be a winner if you don’t take chances.
Assume West leads the spade 10 (the heart king helps declarer). Discard a club from dummy and capture East’s queen with the ace. There are nine sure tricks if the trumps break, and your best prospect is to establish the heart suit: Lead a heart to the ace (West should not split his honors, else declarer can succeed by giving up a heart trick); heart ruff; spade ruff; heart ruff.
When East shows out on the third heart lead, it is apparent that plan one fizzled. Enter plan two: Crossruff. Cash the ace-king of clubs; spade ruff; heart ruff; spade ruff. You now have won 10 tricks and you still hold the ace-king of trumps — making six diamonds.
East Scuttles Game Despite Lousy Lead
3. 3 NT by South
| None Vul | A Q J 10 6 5 Q J 9 7 2 9 8 | |
| 10 2 8 7 2 6 5 4 3 J 10 7 2 | | K J 9 7 5 A 9 4 3 K 10 8 5 |
| Lead: 8 | Q 8 6 4 3 K A A K Q 6 4 3 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 2 | East 1 Pass | South 1 Dbl 3 NT |
South’s intentions were to bid clubs first and then spades twice — the proper way to describe six-five distribution — but East botched this up with his one-spade overcall. South did the best he could by doubling. Note that this was a penalty double because North had already bid.
North might have passed the double — Howe probably would be set two tricks — but low-level doubles (especially at the one level) are cooperative; his decision to bid two diamonds was reasonable. This gave South a problem. It is unattractive to bid notrump with freakish distribution; however, South had high hopes that the club suit would provide six tricks, so he took a chance. I would too.
West apparently had more respect for South’s double than for his partner’s overcall (shame, shame) so he led a heart, which East correctly ducked to South’s king. Declarer cashed three top clubs and then gave West a club trick to establish the rest of the suit. West, now the wiser, returned the spade 10 to knock out dummy’s ace.
Declarer persisted by leading the heart queen, and East won the ace. At this point Howe had a complete count of the hand; he knew that South had one heart, six clubs (from the play), five spades (from West’s lead) and hence, one diamond. He also knew that declarer could win eight tricks, so he returned a diamond and waited for South to lead spades into his king-jack. Down one.
Declarer could have made the contract after West’s “masterful” heart lead. Play a spade to the ace; heart queen to East’s ace; then win the diamond return (best defense). Clear the clubs (discard diamonds from dummy) and East-West can win only two more tricks before surrendering the lead to North or South.
Crossruff Converts Enemy Trumps to Mincemeat
4. 5 x by South
| Both Vul | 9 2 A A 9 8 7 A K Q 10 9 4 | |
| A K Q 2 10 6 5 4 3 J 6 5 3 | | J 8 7 6 3 K Q J 8 6 5 3 — 2 |
| Lead: K | 10 5 4 10 9 7 4 K Q J 2 8 7 |
| West Pass Pass Dbl | North 1 4 NT All Pass | East 4 Pass | South Pass 5 |
North has a problem when East’s routine jump to four hearts is passed around to him. Most players, if they bid at all, would opt for five clubs — not terrible, but it commits the partnership to one contract. It would be an improvement to double (optional); but the expert call is four notrump. This cannot be Blackwood (if North’s hand were that strong he would open two clubs) so it is a form of the “unusual notrump” to show the minor suits. Further, since North bid clubs first, it is obvious that his clubs are longer than his diamonds.
South might have held no points at all, so he is delighted to bid his sturdy diamond suit — though not as delighted as West, who thinks the holidays have come early this year. Double! East is uneasy about this, but he decides to trust his partner and pass.
Assume West cashes the first two spade tricks and continues with a third round, forcing dummy to ruff. It looks like money in the bank for West; his trumps include the 10-spot, and he holds greater length than declarer or dummy. But this is all a mirage. Declarer can make mincemeat out of West’s trumps with proper play.
After ruffing the third spade, lead a diamond to your king to reveal the bad news. Next cash three top clubs, ruff a club with the deuce of diamonds (West must follow suit), then lead a heart to dummy’s ace. Holding A-9 opposite Q-J in diamonds, you can crossruff the last four tricks. West is helpless (and probably irate).
Winning tip: When you discover a bad trump break, stop leading trumps. Cash whatever side-suit winners you can, then try for ruffs in either hand.
Fox Is Outfoxed as Ace Goes To SleepTo bring the action closer to home, the American Contract Bridge League and U.S. Videotel will conduct an experimental Global Pairs. The deals played in Venice will be transmitted to six North American sites at which special computer terminals have been installed.
Lucky day! One of the selected sites is the Bridge Club of Tamarac, 6463 W. Commercial Blvd., Tamarac. You can play the same deals and compare your results with the world champions almost every day from Oct. 11-22. Phone the club at 726-1095 for details.
Today’s deal is from last year’s world championship in which the United States defeated Great Britain in the final. Pay no attention to the East-West bidding (chuckle if you like), as the British were playing a bizarre system. Despite this hindrance, the American superstars, Bob Hamman and Robert Wolff of Dallas, had little trouble reaching game in their four-four heart fit.
5. 4 by South
| Both Vul | A K A 10 7 3 K 10 7 3 K J 10 | |
| 8 4 2 K 4 A 8 6 4 9 8 5 3 | | 10 9 5 3 J 6 2 9 A Q 6 4 2 |
| Lead: 4 | Q J 7 6 Q 9 8 5 Q J 5 2 7 |
| West 1 Pass All Pass | North Dbl 3 | East Rdbl Pass | South 1 4 |
Wolff, South, should be defeated as the cards lie. East-West can win two aces, a natural trump trick, and a diamond ruff with any normal sequence of plays. But would a pair that bid the way East and West did do anything normal? Of course not. West decided to be foxy and underled his ace of diamonds; declarer played low from dummy and captured East’s nine with the queen.
Anxious to get the trumps out, declarer played a heart to the ace and back to the queen, losing to West’s king. Declarer still had no chance … well, almost none. West was unaware of the situation and decided to pursue his deception: He underled the diamond ace again; East ruffed with the heart jack and returned a spade. The fox was now outfoxed. Declarer cashed another spade, led the club king to East’s ace, and eventually discarded dummy’s remaining diamonds on the queen-jack of spades — making four hearts. The ace of diamonds never took a trick.
Don’t Be Timid When Bidding a Two-Suiter
6. 5 by South
| N-S Vul | A Q J 6 2 A K 10 9 7 4 — 9 6 | |
| K 3 8 2 K J 8 7 5 2 A J 3 | | 10 8 5 J 5 A Q 6 K 10 8 4 2 |
| Lead: 7 | 9 7 4 Q 6 3 10 9 4 3 Q 7 5 |
| West 1 Pass 5 | North 2 4 5 | East 3 Pass All Pass | South Pass 4 |
One possible sequence is shown in the diagram. Two diamonds is a Michaels cue-bid — a popular convention to show both major suits — then North later improvises by bidding four diamonds to force South to take a preference to hearts. West competes to five diamonds as a sacrifice, and North takes the push to five hearts.
Mrs. Marge Harrison of Mobile, Ala., wrote that her bidding began the same way except West jumped to five diamonds directly over three diamonds (a good tactical bid). North now had to put up or shut up, and elected the latter. Five diamonds was passed around to Harrison, South, who could not find the courage to bid with four points; so the opponents stole the contract. “What went wrong?” she asks.
How can you pass holding two queens? Heck, I would have bid a slam. I’m kidding, of course. North was at fault for the timid decision to pass five diamonds. I would gamble with five hearts, although an optional double is a reasonable alternative. Some risks must be taken to achieve good results; occasionally you get a “zero,” but in the long run you’ll show a handsome profit.
The play in five hearts is interesting. The opening diamond lead should be ruffed with the seven of hearts. Cash the heart ace, then lead the ten to the queen to take the spade finesse, which wins.
As the cards lie, declarer could plunk down the ace of spades and win 12 tricks; but this is lucky. Declarer would be defeated if the spade king did not drop. The correct play is to lead the heart four — the importance of saving that card is now obvious — over to the six to repeat the spade finesse. When the spade king appears, declarer has 11 tricks.
Good Bidding Overcomes Yearn For Major SuitsThe prejudice toward major suits often leads to disappointment on deals like today’s. Holding eight cards in both spades and clubs, the tendency is to select spades as the final contract despite the fact that the club suit is stronger. It takes a good partnership to ferret out the superior club slam.
7. 6 by South
| None Vul | A 9 8 7 6 3 2 A Q 5 A Q 2 | |
| 5 Q 10 9 5 J 10 9 3 9 8 4 3 | | Q J 10 4 K J 7 3 8 7 6 2 5 |
| Lead: J | K 2 A 8 6 4 K 4 K J 10 7 6 |
| West Pass Pass Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 2 3 5 | East Pass Pass Pass Pass | South 1 1 NT 2 4 6 |
Rick and Anita Garber of Margate conducted the auction shown in a recent team event. After three routine bids, Rick, North, used the popular “new minor forcing” convention — two diamonds was artificial and asked South to clarify her distribution. Two hearts showed a four-card suit. North then jumped to three spades (showing six cards) and South raised to game. North next made the key bid of five clubs, and South exercised good judgment to bid slam in the right suit. As in most slam decisions, the quality of trumps is the top priority.
Six clubs was a breeze. Declarer won the diamond king, club ace, heart ace, and ruffed a heart with the club queen. All of West’s trumps were drawn, then declarer settled for 12 tricks when the spade suit could not be established with one ruff. Thirteen tricks can be made by winning the diamond lead in dummy and playing to ruff two hearts, but this involves additional risk. Anita’s play was correct. Her team gained heavily when six spades was defeated at the other table.
Rick and Anita Garber are the proprietors of the newly opened GG’s Bridge and Backgammon, 7557 W. Oakland Park Blvd. (in the Madrid Plaza). The club features rubber bridge daily at noon. Phone 749-4004 for more information.
Strange Bidding Leads To Lucky Slam ContractThe objective of duplicate bridge is to eliminate the luck of the deal. This is done by “duplicating” hands so that contestants can compare scores against others who held identical cards. This might seem to eliminate luck altogether, but that is hardly the case; it is still there in many forms. Witness today’s deal.
8. 6 by South
| N-S Vul | K Q 8 Q J 9 7 4 3 J 8 7 2 | |
| 9 7 6 5 A 7 4 5 2 A 10 9 6 | | J 3 2 9 6 3 K 8 K Q 5 4 3 |
| Lead: A | A Q 10 8 4 K J 10 5 2 A 10 6 — |
| West Pass All Pass | North 2 | East Pass | South 6 |
Two experienced local players conducted the auction shown at the Bridge Club of Tamarac. Ed Swell, North, opened a weak two-bid in diamonds, and Scott Graham, South, jumped immediately to six hearts. Short, sweet, simple… and preposterous.
Is this the beginning of a Star Trek episode? No, it all arose from a misunderstanding. South thought the partnership agreement was to play the Flannery convention, whereby an opening bid of two diamonds shows five hearts and four spades. In that case, North’s opening bid was much to South’s liking, and the six-heart bid makes sense — although a slower approach might be better to investigate the possibility of a grand slam.
West led the ace of clubs and South gasped as the dummy appeared. Some players might panic and blow the play as well, but Graham kept his cool. He ruffed the opening lead, led a heart to the queen and back to West’s ace. South ruffed the club return, drew the outstanding trumps, crossed to dummy with the spade king, and led the diamond queen. It made no difference whether East covered or not; the whole diamond suit came home, and six hearts was made.
Lucky? You better believe it. There is no logical way for North and South to bid to six hearts; and once they did, the East-West cards had to lie favorably to make it. But give credit to South for turning temporary misfortune into blazing success. Apologies to East-West — in bridge parlance, you were “fixed.”
Eagerness To Grab King Gives Up Contract
9. 4 by South
| None Vul | Q 9 K Q 3 2 A J 5 K 7 4 3 | |
| K 8 7 5 4 10 8 7 K 10 8 A Q | | J 3 9 4 Q 9 4 3 J 10 9 6 5 |
| Lead: 8 | A 10 6 2 A J 6 5 7 6 2 8 2 |
| West 1 Pass | North Dbl 4 | East Pass All Pass | South 3 |
Four hearts was reached with sound bidding. North made a takeout double of West’s one-spade opening, South bid three hearts and North continued to game. South’s bid may seem aggressive, but remember that he was forced to respond with no points at all; the presence of two aces and a jack warranted the jump response.
West chose a passive trump lead (good strategy), rather than risk losing a trick in another suit. (Note that the middle card was led in order to begin a high-low to show three trumps.) Declarer won with the jack and led a low spade toward dummy’s queen. West hopped with the king (else he would lose it) and returned another trump, taken in dummy with the king.
Declarer cashed the spade queen, noting with pleasure that East’s jack fell, then returned to his hand with the heart ace. The ace and 10 of spades were cashed to discard two diamonds, and a club was led toward the king to ice the contract. In all declarer won five trumps (counting a ruff), three spades, one diamond and one club.
Actually it was West, not South, who made the contract when he grabbed the spade king. He was so concerned about not losing his king that he overlooked the entire deal; a loss in one suit is usually a gain in another. All he had to do was follow the prescribed technique for second-hand play.
It would be instructive to the reader to lay out a deck of cards as in the diagram. Play out the deal when West ducks the spade lead and allows dummy’s queen to win. Declarer’s best chance is to lead a spade to the ace then a club toward the king; but routine defense will prevail. Declarer can win only nine tricks.
Bridge Fan Takes the Cake… with 100 CandlesToday’s deal, from a local club game, demonstrates accurate slam bidding. After three routine bids, South jumped to three notrump since he had the unbid suit (clubs) well protected and the required point count for game. North’s four notrump was a quantitative bid (not Blackwood) to invite six notrump; and South, holding 16 points when he might have held only 13, carried on to slam.
10. 6 NT by South
| None Vul | A K 7 5 K 9 A K 10 6 4 8 5 | |
| J 10 9 4 10 7 6 3 2 10 7 6 3 | | 8 3 2 8 4 2 Q J 5 3 K 9 2 |
| Lead: J | Q 6 A Q J 5 9 8 7 A Q J 4 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 1 4 NT | East Pass Pass Pass | South 1 3 NT 6 NT |
Unfortunately, declarer fell from grace in the play. West led the spade jack to South’s queen, then the diamond nine was swung to East’s jack. East shifted to a low club and South, expecting the diamond suit to run, hopped with the ace. Alas. West showed out on the next diamond lead and the contract was hopeless.
Declarer was correct in his assessment that the chance of running the diamond suit was much better than the 50-50 club finesse; hence, it was clearly right to play diamonds before clubs. So where did he go wrong? As the astute reader should have noticed, South failed in his method of attacking diamonds. At the moment of truth (when East led a club), South was unaware of the foul diamond division.
The correct play after winning the spade queen is to lead a diamond to the ace, cash the heart king, cross to the heart ace, and lead a diamond toward dummy, then: (1) If West follows, simply duck and you are assured of four diamond tricks and won’t need the club finesse. (2) If West shows out, you can forget about the diamonds; so win the diamond king and take the club finesse. In the actual layout declarer wins all 13 tricks as West is eventually squeezed in the black suits.
[Thanks to Scott Cardell for providing the corrected analysis in the last paragraph.]
South Gets Top Score as West Is Caught Napping
11. 3 NT by South
| None Vul | J 9 8 6 3 8 3 A 10 9 7 4 3 — | |
| A Q 10 4 K 10 7 5 J 6 A K 6 | | 7 2 9 2 8 5 2 9 7 5 4 3 2 |
| Lead: K | K 5 A Q J 6 4 K Q Q J 10 8 |
| West 1 NT Pass All Pass | North 2 3 | East Pass Pass | South 2 NT 3 NT |
Metz, South, had taught his partner to play one of his favorite items of esoterica — the Brozel convention — in which all overcalls of an opponent’s one-notrump opening showed two-suited hands. I won’t go into all the details, but North’s bid showed spades and an unknown minor suit. I wonder if Metz forgot to explain that North was supposed to have some points for this bid. Five points? Well, he was lucky this time to catch Metz with the world’s fair.
South bid two notrump, which systemically asked North to show his minor suit. Metz had some fleeting thoughts about slam; but after recalling West’s opening bid, he settled for his favorite contract — three notrump.
West led the club king, then continued with the ace as declarer discarded two spades from dummy. After a short pause, West shifted to the diamond jack (a sweet card to see) and the gleam was restored to Metz’s eyes as he won the king. It was obvious that West held the missing high cards, so declarer led a sneaky jack of hearts from his hand. It worked! West was caught napping and ducked.
With 10 tricks now secure, Metz went for his tour de force. He cashed two good clubs, discarding spades from dummy, then overtook the diamond queen with the ace to run the entire suit. Everyone was reduced to two cards: Dummy held the spade jack and a heart; South kept the ace-queen of hearts; and West — not enjoying any of this — kept the spade ace and heart king.
Finally, a heart to the ace dropped the king and Metz had himself a “top” board, winning 11 tricks.
Slam Is Tough To Bid After Enemy BarrageToday’s deal, from the summer championships in Salt Lake City, paints a good picture of the fierce competition among expert players. South opened three clubs, a preemptive bid, and West routinely doubled for takeout. North then made an excellent bid: Six clubs! He did not expect to make this, of course; but he thought his opponents could make a slam in hearts, and the penalty would be less.
12. 6 x by South
| E-W Vul | 8 7 6 4 3 — Q J 8 5 Q J 9 8 | |
| K Q 10 9 A Q J 8 2 A 10 6 2 — | | A 2 10 7 6 5 4 K 9 7 3 K 7 |
| Lead: K | J 5 K 9 3 4 A 10 6 5 4 3 2 |
| West Dbl | North 6 | East Dbl | South 3 All Pass |
So it proved. As the cards lie East-West can make seven hearts (although six hearts is the proper contract). But would you have bid with the East hand? No fair looking at the West hand! With five hearts to the 10-spot, it would require a lot of courage (and questionable sanity) to venture a bid at the six level. I agree with the double, which would be correct in the long run.
North-South won the bidding, but East-West salvaged some respect in the play. West led the spade king and East, realizing the urgency to limit heart ruffs in dummy, overtook with the ace to lead the club seven. Declarer guessed correctly to finesse and ducked the trick to North’s eight-spot, then a spade was led to West.
West next found the key play: He underled his diamond ace; queen, king; and East returned the club king to South’s ace. Declarer now had to lose another trick. He could not ruff three hearts with only two trumps remaining in dummy. Nor could he establish and use the fifth spade because dummy lacked sufficient entries. Down three. Great defense!
[Thanks to Scott Cardell, who observed that declarer can always get out for down two. At trick two he must win the club ten and lead a diamond. Later, when West wins the spade queen he will be endplayed.]
At the other table East-West bid to six hearts, but North-South wisely sacrificed in seven clubs (doubled, of course). The defense was less inspired and declarer managed to ruff all of his hearts in dummy. He also was down three, so the result was a washout.
Mistiming the Play Costs Declarer a Spade RuffToday’s deal occurred in the Blue Ribbon Pairs, the premier pair event of the tournament. Bill Root and I defeated four hearts when declarer (a top expert from the Washington, D.C., area) mistimed the play. Put yourself in the South seat and see if you can do better.
13. 4 by South
| Both Vul | A K Q 3 A 10 9 K Q 10 9 6 2 | |
| 5 4 Q J 5 3 Q 7 6 3 J 5 3 | | 10 9 6 2 K J 10 8 5 2 A 7 4 |
| Lead: 3 | J 8 7 8 7 6 4 2 A 9 4 K 8 |
| West Pass Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 1 3 | East Pass Pass Pass | South 1 1 NT 4 |
The bidding was sound. North’s hand was not quite worth a jump shift at his second turn, so he settled for one spade. South rebid one notrump since he held a stopper in the unbid suit, then North made the key bid: Three hearts showed exactly three trumps (with four North would have raised earlier) and, because North bid three different suits, he implied shortness in diamonds. South had nothing to brag about in hearts, but the presence of the diamond ace and club king warranted a bid of game.
Root, West, led the diamond three, won by dummy’s king. Declarer led a low spade to his jack, ruffed a diamond, then continued with the ace and another heart to West’s jack. West shrewdly returned his last spade and declarer was finished. He tried leading a club to his king, but, of course, I took the ace and gave my partner a spade ruff. Down one. How would you have played it?
The four-one trump break was unfortunate for declarer, but such occurrences are not so uncommon as to be ignored. A superior line of play is to lead a club to the king at trick two (East cannot gain by hopping with the ace), then continue as before: diamond ruff; heart ace; heart to West.
Declarer still must be careful. If West returns a spade (best), win in dummy and lead a club to break up the communication between the East-West hands. This stifles the spade ruff, and declarer cannot be prevented from forcing out the high trump and drawing West’s last trump to make his contract.
Unusual Notrump Leads To Successful Slam
14. 6 by South
| Both Vul | K 3 A K J 7 6 5 K Q 8 5 2 — | |
| Q J 8 3 A 10 4 A K 10 7 5 2 | | 10 9 6 5 4 10 9 4 J 9 7 Q 4 |
| Lead: Q | A 7 2 Q 8 2 6 3 J 9 8 6 3 |
| West 1 Pass Pass | North 2 NT 4 6 | East Pass Pass All Pass | South 3 4 |
After West’s one-club opening, North had a difficult hand to bid. It was too strong for a one-heart overcall, and an overcall of two hearts would show a weak hand. A takeout double was possible, but that would just postpone the problem — South would be unlikely to bid a red suit, and North would face the same dilemma at his next turn.
The unusual notrump overcall is widely used after a major-suit opening to show both minor suits, but that is only a specific case. The general agreement is that a jump overcall of two notrump shows at least five-five distribution in the two lowest of the unbid suits. Hence, in this case, since clubs were bid, North’s two notrump showed specifically hearts and diamonds. Made to order!
South indicated his preference between the red suits by bidding three hearts. This did not show a real heart suit; it simply meant that South liked hearts better than diamonds. Also observe that South was required to bid — only a fool would pass an unusual notrump bid — so he did not promise any high-card strength.
Another misconception about the unusual notrump overcall is that it shows less strength than an opening bid. It certainly may be a weak hand, and partner should assume so at the outset; but the bid is forcing, and the user may intend to follow it up with another bid.
North’s hand was worth a raise to game, but there also was the possibility of slam. Therefore, he bid four clubs (a cue-bid) to show control of the enemy suit. South would return to four hearts with a poor hand, but the presence of the heart queen and spade ace warranted some cooperation. South cue-bid four spades and that was all North needed to hear. Six hearts!
The play was easy, losing just one diamond trick.
Six Notrump Was Well Played… but Beatable
15. 6 NT by South
| None Vul | J 8 4 A Q A 9 5 3 Q J 7 6 | |
| Q 10 2 J 8 5 2 10 7 10 9 8 3 | | A 9 6 3 7 6 3 J 8 4 2 4 2 |
| Lead: 10 | K 7 5 K 10 9 4 K Q 6 A K 5 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 2 4 NT | East Pass Pass | South 1 3 NT 6 NT |
North-South were using 15-17 point notrump openings, so South was obliged to open one club. North’s two-club response was an “inverted minor raise,” a special treatment in which a single raise shows 10 points or more and is forcing. (In this method a jump to three clubs would show a weak hand.)
South jumped to three notrump to show 18-19 points, and North bid four notrump (not Blackwood) to invite slam. South probably should have passed this, but he “liked his hand” and continued to six notrump — so what else is new?
West made a safe lead with the club 10, and South counted 10 top tricks: four clubs, three diamonds and three hearts. Declarer saw three chances for additional tricks: (1) The spade ace onside (then the king could be established), (2) diamonds dividing three-three, or (3) the heart jack falling under the A-K-Q.
Declarer won the club king, then cashed dummy’s ace and queen of hearts. It seemed too much of a long shot for chances (2) and (3) to materialize, so he led the spade four; three, king, deuce… and a sigh of relief from South. So far, so good.
Declarer cashed the club ace and led a club to the jack as East threw a heart. On the last club winner, East and South both discarded spades. A diamond was led to the king, then the heart king was cashed as North and East threw spades. Next came the diamond queen, on which West dropped the 10 — an ominous sight.
The mathematical odds favored East to hold the diamond jack, so declarer exited with a spade. East perforce won the ace and had to concede the last two diamond tricks to dummy. Well played.
Did you spot the defensive error? East could have defeated the contract by discarding his spade ace when the heart king was led — a tough play, but one that an expert would find.
Declarer Could Never Get To His Hand
16. 6 NT x by South
| None Vul | A K Q J 8 7 6 A Q 3 — Q J 4 | |
| 10 9 K 8 6 2 K 10 7 A 10 8 6 | | 4 3 2 7 5 J 9 6 4 3 2 5 2 |
| Lead: 10 | 5 J 10 9 4 A Q 8 5 K 9 7 3 |
| West Pass Pass Pass Dbl | North 2 2 4 5 All Pass | East Pass Pass Pass Pass | South 2 2 NT 4 NT 6 NT |
North opened two clubs (strong and artificial), and South made a negative response of two diamonds. Technically, South’s hand was too strong for this bid; but he lacked a good alternative, and decided to bide his time. North showed his spades, South bid two notrump as a natural bid, and North jumped to game with his self-sufficient suit.
South then sprang to life with Blackwood, and placed the contract in six notrump to protect his minor-suit holdings from the opening lead. I didn’t think South could make it so I doubled. In retrospect I probably should have passed; but this was a matchpoint pair event, and every point makes a difference.
I led the spade 10. Declarer won in dummy and cashed two more spades, discarding two diamonds (I threw a heart). The queen and jack of clubs won the next two tricks — obviously, I could not afford to win the ace and allow South to get to his hand. Declarer ran the rest of the spades to reach a four-card ending. Since declarer was stranded in dummy, I discarded all my diamonds to keep the ace-10 of clubs and king-small in hearts. Down one.
Okay, sports fans! Make me eat my double! How could declarer have made his contract? Give it a try before reading further.
The key to success is to reach the South hand, but this cannot be done by normal means. When the front door is locked, you have to use the back door. Win two (or more) spade tricks, then lead the club queen and overtake with the king. West must win the ace (else you can win 12 tricks with the heart finesse), then whatever he returns allows you to reach your hand. Note the presence of the club nine, which is critical to the position.
Did you figure it out by yourself? Gosh, I hope not… those doubles taste terrible.
Timing the Play Is a Difficult Art To Master
17. 4 by South
| None Vul | 3 K Q 2 A 7 6 5 4 K 6 5 3 | |
| A Q 10 2 9 8 K J 3 Q J 9 4 | | J 9 6 5 J 10 3 10 9 8 2 10 8 |
| Lead: 8 | K 8 7 4 A 7 6 5 4 Q A 7 2 |
| West Dbl Pass All Pass | North Rdbl 3 | East Pass 1 Pass | South 1 Dbl 4 |
The bidding was exemplary all around. West doubled South’s one-heart opening for takeout, North redoubled to show 10 points or more, and East rescued his side to one spade. South doubled to show four spades (essentially for penalty), but North had no intentions of playing there with his unshown heart support. Three hearts was forcing, and South continued to game.
West led a trump, and declarer considered his prospects. There were eight top tricks (assuming a normal trump break), and one spade could be ruffed in dummy. The spade ace was clearly offside because of the bidding, so the 10th trick would have to come from one of the minor suits. South did not want to hinge his fate on a three-three club break, so he planned to establish the long diamond in dummy.
Declarer won the heart king, cashed the diamond ace, and ruffed a diamond in hand. A spade was conceded, and the inevitable trump return was won with the queen. Declarer then ruffed a diamond, ruffed a spade, and led a diamond. Curtains! If South ruffed this, he would be unable to draw East’s last trump; and no matter what he discarded, a spade return by East would defeat the contract.
South’s intention to establish the diamond suit was correct, but his timing was afoul. The dilemma he reached was predictable. His trump holding was inadequate to ruff three diamonds, so he should plan to concede one along the way. Here is the best play:
Win the heart king and lead a low diamond to the queen, king. Win the trump return in dummy, ruff a diamond, then lead the spade king to West’s ace — this is necessary to prevent East from winning and returning a trump. Assume West returns a club (best); win the ace, ruff a spade, then ruff a diamond. Finally, draw the last trump, lead a club to dummy, and cash the ace and last diamond.
Partner would smile.
Leading All Your Trumps Often Works Miracles
18. 4 by South
| None Vul | A K 8 2 9 5 10 8 Q 8 6 5 3 | |
| 7 6 4 10 7 4 A 7 5 4 3 J 10 | | 9 5 3 3 2 Q J 6 A K 9 7 4 |
| Lead: J | Q J 10 A K Q J 8 6 K 9 2 2 |
| West Pass Pass | North Pass 1 4 | East Pass 2 All Pass | South 1 3 |
After two passes South opened one heart, North responded one spade, and East ventured two clubs — not a healthy overcall, but it was “his turn to bid.” South jumped to three hearts (invitational) and North continued to game.
West led the club jack, which held, then continued with the 10, which South ruffed. Trumps were drawn in three rounds, as North and East let go a club. In declarer’s eyes this was a “nothing” hand — he had his contract on ice — so he cashed four spade tricks, then led a diamond to the king… next hand.
South’s attitude would be acceptable at rubber bridge; but this was a matchpoint pair game, where overtricks are important. He should have given some consideration to his chances of making an 11th trick. Declarer’s play of leading up to the diamond king was a feeble attempt based on the bidding; East would not pass originally if he held three quick tricks and a five-card suit.
Instead South should follow this advice: When there appears to be no straightforward play to make your contract (or in this case, an overtrick), lead your solid suits. This means leading all of your trumps — a procedure that goes against the grain of many players because they lose their security blanket.
If declarer cashes all of his hearts and then his spades, he will reach a two-card ending with North on lead. North will have the diamond 10 and club queen; South will have the king-nine of diamonds. East must keep a high club, so only one diamond; then a diamond lead to West’s ace allows South to win the last trick with the nine.
What’s that play called? It is known as a “vice squeeze,” but who cares… just lead those trumps.
Trump Elopement Play Lands Sacrifice Bid
19. 5 x by South
| E-W Vul | 9 A Q 8 2 K J 3 2 10 7 6 5 | |
| A K J 10 8 2 K J 10 4 3 Q 3 | | Q 4 3 7 6 10 9 8 4 K Q 8 4 |
| Lead: K | 7 6 5 9 5 A 7 6 5 A J 9 2 |
| West 1 4 | North Dbl 5 | East 2 Dbl | South 3 All Pass |
West opened one spade, and North made a takeout double — skimpy, but his 1-4-4-4 shape was ideal. East raised to two spades, and South competed in clubs (rather than diamonds) because of the stronger suit quality. West jumped to game with his exciting distribution.
The spotlight turned to North, who normally would pass — he had already shown his hand, and it would be far-fetched to win 11 tricks in clubs. But the vulnerability was favorable, and West’s confident bidding implied that four spades would make (actually, it would not). So, North decided to sacrifice. Five clubs! Double!
West led the spade king and then shifted to the diamond queen in the hopes that East held the ace. No luck. South won the ace, ruffed a spade in dummy, and led a low trump to the nine, which won. South ruffed his last spade, then led the club 10; queen, ace, as West let go a spade.
At this juncture it appears that East will win one diamond and two trump tricks (dummy has no more trumps to lead toward declarer’s jack-deuce). But it’s all a mirage. Declarer took the heart finesse, cashed the heart ace, and led another heart; East (in a helpless bind) discarded a diamond and South ruffed. Declarer then cashed dummy’s top diamonds and led the last heart. Whether East ruffed high or low, South would score the club jack and make his contract.
Powerful stuff! Declarer’s technique — aptly known as “trump elopement” — took care of East’s clubs and diamonds like a tornado in a confetti factory. Nonetheless, the contract could have been beaten if East had played the club queen (or king) the first time the suit was led.
Egregious Overbid Nets Spectacular Result
20. 7 by South
| None Vul | J 7 4 A K 3 A K 8 6 7 5 2 | |
| 6 5 Q J Q 9 5 2 J 9 8 6 4 | | Q 8 2 6 5 4 2 J 10 7 K Q 10 |
| Lead: 5 | A K 10 9 3 10 9 8 7 4 3 A 3 |
| West Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass | North 2 NT 4 4 NT 5 NT 7 | East Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass All Pass | South 1 3 4 5 6 |
Davis, South, opened one spade and Poore, North, responded two notrump to describe her balanced hand. South showed her second suit, North cue-bid four diamonds (implying trump support for South), and South retreated to four spades — all very reasonable, and the bidding should have ended there.
North, however, had an attack of optimitis (a common bridge disease). She launched into Blackwood, found that all the aces were held, and then bid five notrump to ask for kings. When South showed one king, North bid to the hilt. Seven spades!
As anyone can see, seven spades cannot be made. Even with the successful spade finesse and the queen-jack doubleton in hearts, declarer has no way to avoid a club loser. But a good declarer never says “never”; play it out and see what happens.
West led a trump, solving any problem in that suit, and South captured East’s eight-spot with the nine. Declarer cashed the spade king, then led the heart 10; jack, king. A spade to the ace was followed by another heart; queen, ace. Two more good hearts were cashed, discarding a club from dummy.
Davis, of course, knew all along there was no real hope. But she remembered what I had taught her in the past: Lead those trumps! Make the opponents discard. She continued by cashing her last two trumps, throwing clubs from dummy.
Meanwhile, the opponents weren’t so clever. Both were enamored by the sight of A-K-x-x of diamonds in dummy and chose to keep three diamonds and just one club. The club ace was cashed and… presto!… the club three was good.
To borrow from the late Great One, “How sweet it is!”
You Don’t Have To Play Well To Enjoy DuplicateThe refreshing part of this story is her attitude. Despite going down on this deal, and despite finishing in next-to-last place, she was glowing with excitement. She had a pleasant experience, made some new friends, and — lest we forget — she did not finish last. Not a bad accomplishment on her first try!
21. 4 by South
| None Vul | Q 5 4 10 6 4 A Q 8 4 9 6 3 | |
| A 10 8 3 J 9 5 10 9 3 2 Q 5 | | J 9 6 7 K 7 6 5 K J 10 7 4 |
| Lead: 2 | K 7 2 A K Q 8 3 2 J A 8 2 |
| West Pass All Pass | North 2 | East Pass Pass | South 1 4 |
West led the diamond deuce, and declarer risked the finesse; she played low from dummy and East won the king. East shifted to the club jack, South won the ace and drew trumps. Too bad; the heart jack did not fall soon enough to provide an entry to dummy. When declarer led a spade, West grabbed the ace to return the club queen, which East overtook with the king to cash the 10 — down one.
“Next time,” said South, “I’ll never take that diamond finesse with a singleton in my hand.” Whoa, there. The diamond finesse was correct — rising with the ace would give declarer almost no chance. The mistake was winning the first club. If declarer wins the club ace on the second round, West would be unable to return a club when in with the spade ace; then declarer would benefit from the discards available in dummy.
I heard by the grapevine that our novice declarer is now playing duplicate regularly, twice a week. And I’m betting she’ll be a winner before too long.
Add a new dimension to your own life. If you haven’t tried duplicate bridge, you are missing all the fun. Two of the area’s finest clubs offer games every afternoon and evening; plus they have special games for novice players — the ideal way to break in — and a complete teaching program. Contact the club nearest you:
* Bridge Club of Tamarac, 6463 West Commercial Blvd., Tamarac, 33319. Phone 726-1095. Manager: Bill Howe.
* Ft. Lauderdale Bridge Club, 910 N.E. 7 Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, 33304. Phone 761-1577. Manager: Rhoda Schreider.
Communication at Notrump Is a Delicate Matter
22. 3 NT by South
| None Vul | K J 6 5 3 A 8 4 2 3 J 5 3 | |
| Q 8 7 10 9 6 10 8 5 4 9 7 2 | | A 10 9 J 7 5 Q J 9 7 K Q 10 |
| Lead: 4 | 4 2 K Q 3 A K 6 2 A 8 6 4 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 2 3 | East 1 Pass Pass | South 1 NT 2 3 NT |
South’s one-notrump overcall showed 16 to 18 points and a stopper in diamonds, the enemy suit. North’s two-club response was Stayman — just as if South opened one notrump — and South’s two diamonds denied a four-card major suit. North then jumped in his five-card spade suit, and South signed off in three notrump.
West led the diamond four, and South captured West’s jack with the king. Declarer’s prospects were not good. The best chance was to establish the spade suit, which would require the queen onside and a three-three break. Let’s follow the play in three scenarios.
Case 1: Declarer led a low spade to dummy’s jack and East’s ace. The diamond return was won with the ace, then declarer led a spade and ducked the trick. The opponents could win only two diamond tricks (plus their two spade tricks), so declarer made his contract — thanks to the favorable spade division. Well played? We’ll see.
Case 2: East was a better defender; he did not win his spade ace when declarer led to dummy’s jack. Declarer came to his hand with the heart king to lead another spade, ducked to East’s 10, then the diamond return was taken with the ace. The difference now was that South had no more spades to lead, so dummy’s suit could not be established without using the heart ace. The best declarer could do was to cash his heart tricks — down one.
Case 3: South was a better declarer; he knew that East would be smart enough to hold up his spade ace, so he devised a plan to keep communication with the dummy. He ducked the first spade lead completely. After regaining the lead, South led his last spade to dummy’s jack, then he could not be prevented from making three spade tricks — and his contract. Bravo!
So, declarer wins out with best play all around. But don’t accept any kudos if you played as in Case 1.
Declarer Makes Grand Slam with Throw-in Play
23. 7 by South
| None Vul | K J 7 K 10 9 2 A 9 6 3 K 6 | |
| 10 9 5 — J 10 5 4 J 10 9 8 4 3 | | 6 4 3 Q 8 6 5 4 8 7 2 7 2 |
| Lead: J | A Q 8 2 A J 7 3 K Q A Q 5 |
| West Pass Pass Pass | North 3 4 NT 7 | East Pass Pass All Pass | South 2 NT 3 5 |
Garber, South, opened two notrump with his 22-point hand, and Al Kahn, North, responded three clubs, Stayman. South showed his heart suit, and North bid four notrump — this was intended as Blackwood, although most experts would consider it “quantitative.” South showed three aces and North bid the grand slam in hearts. (Note that seven notrump would be easier to make.)
West led the club jack, taken by dummy’s king, and declarer won the heart king as West threw a club. Good news: East’s queen could be finessed. Bad news: East had too many hearts. Declarer continued with the heart deuce; five, seven. Next came the club ace, diamond king-queen, and three rounds of spades ending in dummy. Declarer threw his club queen on the diamond ace, then led dummy’s last diamond; East ruffed and South overruffed with the jack.
At this point North remained with 10-9 in hearts, East held Q-8, and South, the blank ace (plus a spade). The situation was hopeless; East had to make a trick. But wait! Before declarer could lead, West led a club out of turn. (He thought he had won the previous diamond trick, forgetting that hearts were trump.)
When a player leads out of turn, the non-offending side has the option to accept that lead; so, declarer ruffed with dummy’s nine. East’s queen now was smothered: If he ruffed low, South would discard his spade; if he overruffed, South would overruff with the ace. Making seven hearts!
Curiously, seven hearts can be made legitimately with double-dummy play: Club king; heart 10 (East cannot profit by covering); heart to seven; spade to jack; heart to jack; take all your cashable side winners then crossruff the ace-king of hearts at the end.
South Misses Two Chances To Avert Enemy Ruff
24. 6 by South
| None Vul | J 7 6 K J 6 5 3 A A K 8 6 | |
| 2 7 2 Q 10 7 6 5 J 10 7 5 4 | | A Q 9 8 5 4 — J 9 4 2 9 3 2 |
| Lead: 2 | K 10 3 A Q 10 9 8 4 K 8 3 Q |
| West Pass All Pass | North 5 | East 2 Pass | South 3 6 |
East opened with a weak two-bid in spades, and South overcalled in hearts — obviously to North’s delight. The prospects for slam were dampened by North’s spade holding, but they could not be ignored. Blackwood would not solve the problem, nor would a cue-bid of three spades; so North raised to five hearts as an invitation for South to bid slam. Excellent judgment.
The voluntary bid of five in a major suit has a special meaning among good players; it asks for control in the enemy suit (or an unbid suit if the enemy has not bid). Partner should: (1) Pass with two or more fast losers, (2) bid six of the agreed major with a singleton, (3) bid five notrump with the guarded king, or (4) cue-bid with the ace or void (in case a grand slam is possible).
South missed his first opportunity right then. Holding K-10-3 in spades, he should have bid five notrump over five hearts. North still has a close decision, but the likelihood of a spade ruff would be staring him in the face; he might pass (a plus score) or raise to six notrump (easily made with the spade ace onside).
South’s second opportunity — a spectacular one — came in the play. He should have dropped the spade king under East’s ace. From South’s point of view West’s lead was an obvious singleton (remember the bidding), so the contract was doomed. The only hope was to create an illusion for East that South held the singleton, and the king play would be most convincing.
Put yourself in the East position. If South’s king fell under your ace, would you continue spades at trick two? All indications are that partner has led from 10-3-2, and continuing the suit would allow declarer to obtain a discard on dummy’s jack. Be honest. You probably would shift to a diamond… and never speak to South again for a year.
Quest For Overtrick Like Prospecting For GoldIdentical deals were played at each club, and I thought today’s (No. 21) was instructive. Most tables reached three notrump, although the auctions varied. I recommend the bidding shown.
25. 3 NT by South
| E-W Vul | 8 J 9 3 2 A Q 7 A Q 6 4 2 | |
| K J 10 4 K Q 8 6 8 K J 9 8 | | Q 7 6 3 2 10 7 4 10 5 4 2 7 |
| Lead: J | A 9 5 A 5 K J 9 6 3 10 5 3 |
| West Dbl 2 All Pass | North Rdbl 3 | East Pass 1 Pass | South 1 Pass 3 NT |
After West’s ideal-shape takeout double, North should redouble to show at least 10 points, and East should bid his spade suit. South should pass since he has nothing urgent to say and North will get another turn. West’s hand is barely worth a raise to two spades, North should bid three clubs (forcing) and South, three notrump.
Declarer has eight top tricks, and the contract depends on the club finesse, a strong favorite based on the bidding. To this extent, everyone succeeded (to my knowledge); but few managed to ferret out the overtrick, which is important at matchpoint, duplicate bridge. There’s gold in them thar hills, but you won’t find any nuggets lying on the surface; you have to dig for them.
West leads the spade jack, and he should continue with the king then the ten (to avoid blocking the suit) as declarer holds up his ace until the third round, throwing a club and a heart from dummy. The exact order of play is not critical, but assume declarer takes the club finesse, cashes four rounds of diamonds (throwing a club from dummy), and wins the heart ace.
West now holds one spade, the heart king, and king-jack of clubs. Dummy holds jack-small in hearts and ace-small in clubs. South then leads his last diamond — the crusher — and West must part with his spade (else buckle immediately). Seeing this, declarer discards dummy’s small club, then leads a heart to establish the jack… and there’s your nugget.
Principle of Symmetry — Truth or Fallacy?
26. 6 by South
| None Vul | — 6 3 K J 10 9 6 5 A J 9 8 2 | |
| K J 9 3 A 7 5 8 7 3 2 6 4 | | 7 6 5 4 2 Q J 10 9 Q 4 Q 3 |
| Lead: A | A Q 10 8 K 8 4 2 A K 10 7 5 |
| West Pass Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 3 5 | East Pass Pass Pass | South 1 1 3 NT 6 |
Pope, South, opened one club and then rebid one spade after his partner’s diamond response. Technically, he should rebid one heart (up-the-line), but that is a trivial matter; he liked his spades better. North jumped to three diamonds, South bid three notrump to show his heart stopper, and North jumped to five clubs.
Pope reasoned that North would have freakish distribution with good clubs; and, since he held extra high-card strength with control (ace or king) in every suit, he continued to slam. This was fine judgment; an expert couldn’t have bid any better.
West led the heart ace and continued the suit. (This lead made no difference as one of dummy’s hearts could have been discarded on the spade ace.) Declarer had to guess how to play the trump suit to make his contract.
The normal play with nine cards missing the queen is not to take a finesse — a la “eight ever, nine never” — but the advantage is slight (about 52 to 48). Good players look for additional clues.
Declarer noted that his own hand contained a singleton, and dummy held a void; so it seemed logical that one of the opponents also would hold a singleton or void. Therefore, after cashing the club king, he tried the finesse. Ouch! Better luck next time.
What about declarer’s logic? Was his principle of “symmetry” justified? The answer may surprise you, so take note: The probabilities for the division of the enemy cards are not affected by the way the cards are divided between declarer and dummy.
The only significant information is what declarer knows about the enemy hands themselves. On this deal the only clue is that neither opponent bid, which suggests an even club break. (With a singleton club, an opponent would be more likely to bid.) Therefore, the odds are even better that the queen will drop.
Can You Beat the Experts on This Deal?My team fell by the wayside in the round of 32, losing to the Palm Beach squad of Sam Stayman, Richard Reisig, Lea du Pont, and former Italian stars, Benito Garozzo and Georgio Belladonna. I wish I could say that all our finesses lost; but this team performed exceptionally well, especially Reisig, who never touched a wrong card in the 64 deals.
Today’s deal occurred in our losing match. The bidding is shown as it occurred at my table. North opened one club and I overcalled two diamonds (weak) with the East hand. South bid two hearts, which was nonforcing in the partnership style (an unusual treatment), West raised to three diamonds, and North aggressively bid four hearts.
27. 4 by South
| None Vul | J 7 3 2 A J 10 8 A K 8 6 3 | |
| 10 5 K 9 5 A K 9 2 J 9 7 2 | | Q 9 8 6 Q Q J 7 6 5 3 Q 4 |
| Lead: K | A K 4 8 7 6 4 3 2 10 4 10 5 |
| West 3 | North 1 4 | East 2 All Pass | South 2 |
West led the diamond king and continued with the ace to force dummy to ruff. Declarer tried to establish the club suit by cashing the ace-king and ruffing a club as I threw a diamond. This proved to be fruitless, and declarer eventually lost two hearts and a spade trick — down one.
Four hearts was not made at the other table either, although our teammates judged well to bid only three hearts, resulting in a small pickup. Nine tricks seems to be the limit, and I doubt that I would have done better at the table; but four hearts can be made. Do you see how? Here’s your chance to beat the experts.
The key play is to throw a spade from dummy instead of ruffing the second diamond lead. The best defense is another diamond, then: Ruff in hand (throw another spade from dummy); club ace-king; club ruff (East cannot gain by ruffing); heart ace; club ruff; heart to West’s king; and no defense can beat you.
Declarer Fails To Meet Challenge on Slam Deal
28. 6 NT x by South
| N-S Vul | Q 7 4 2 K Q J 10 4 Q 4 Q 8 | |
| K 10 8 6 5 3 7 J 10 8 2 10 6 | | — A 9 8 6 5 3 6 5 9 7 5 4 2 |
| Lead: 7 | A J 9 2 A K 9 7 3 A K J 3 |
| West Pass Pass Pass Pass | North 1 2 5 Pass | East Pass Pass Pass Dbl | South 2 4 NT 6 NT All Pass |
North’s opening bid leaves something to be desired — like an air-sickness bag — but that is a winning style. Bold bidding is rewarded more often than it is punished (often because of poor defense). South responded two diamonds, North rebid his sturdy heart suit, and South “Blackwooded” into six notrump — not the recommended approach, but understandable with 20 points.
East sensed that the foul distribution would hinder declarer, so he doubled to ask for a heart lead (dummy’s suit). West obliged, and East allowed North’s king to win the first trick. The heart queen was taken by the ace, as South and West threw spades (West signaled with the eight). After some thought, East shifted to a diamond (an excellent play), which rode to dummy’s queen.
Declarer decided to rely on the diamond suit to break (instead of the spade finesse), so he discarded the spade jack and a diamond on the jack-10 of hearts. After running the clubs, he was locked in his hand and West had to make a diamond trick — down one.
Consider what would happen if declarer had won the first diamond lead with the king instead of the queen. A club is led to dummy’s queen to cash the hearts, then the clubs are run to reach a four-card ending. North holds Q-7-4 in spades and the blank queen of diamonds; South holds the blank ace of spades and A-9-7 in diamonds.
What will West keep? If two spades, all of South’s diamonds will be good after winning the queen. If one spade, all of North’s spades will be good after winning the ace. Cute. Not your everyday bridge ending — an extended-threat crisscross squeeze.
It is interesting to note that an original club or diamond lead, followed by the diamond lead (when East wins the heart ace) would tangle declarer’s communication and break up this ending.
Declarer Squeezes Both Defenders To Make SlamOne of those who made the trek was Seymour “Sy” Reich of New York City, who displayed immaculate technique as declarer on today’s deal. His partner was Bill Passell of Coral Springs, one of the country’s leading players.
29. 6 by South
| None Vul | K 7 4 A 10 8 7 J 8 5 3 Q 5 | |
| Q 9 6 2 5 4 9 6 2 K 10 6 2 | | J 8 5 — A Q 10 7 J 9 8 7 4 3 |
| Lead: 2 | A 10 3 K Q J 9 6 3 2 K 4 A |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North Pass 2 5 | East Pass Pass Dbl | South 1 4 NT 6 |
The bidding needs an explanation. Reich, South, opened one heart in third seat. (I guess you could call it the “Third Reich” — sorry about that.) North’s two clubs was the Drury convention, which showed a hand that was too strong for a raise to two hearts. The purpose of this gadget is to allow the partnership to stop at the two level if the opening bid was shaded, a common practice in third seat.
In this instance South held an exceptionally fine hand, and he judged that a slam was likely. A check for aces with Blackwood drew a five-diamond response, which East doubled to ask for a diamond lead. No problem as far as South could see… six hearts!
West led a diamond to East’s ace, and the diamond return was won by the king. Trumps were drawn in two rounds, then a diamond was ruffed in case the queen happened to drop. No luck. Declarer had one final hope: a squeeze. He cashed the ace of clubs — not because the king might drop, but to clarify the position when he ran his trumps.
A barrage of hearts followed. Just before leading the last heart, West held Q-9-6 in spades and the club king; dummy held K-7 in spades, the diamond jack and the club queen; East held J-8-5 in spades and the diamond queen. The last heart was the crusher: West had to let go a spade, dummy threw the now-useless club queen, and East had to throw a spade to keep the diamond queen. South’s 10 of spades won the last trick, thanks to the neat double squeeze.
Defensive tip: A spade lead by East at trick two would break up the squeeze and defeat the contract.
Lesson Deal Has Second Chance… If You See It
30. 6 by South
| None Vul | A 6 5 2 A K 7 2 A 3 A 9 4 | |
| Q J Q J 10 5 10 5 2 J 6 5 3 | | 8 7 9 6 J 9 8 7 6 Q 10 8 7 |
| Lead: Q | K 10 9 4 3 8 4 3 K Q 4 K 2 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 1 4 5 | East Pass Pass Pass | South 1 4 NT 6 |
West leads the heart queen, taken in dummy, and the spade ace is cashed on which West drops the jack. Should declarer now play to drop the queen or should he take the finesse? Let’s see how this problem might be solved by three players of different skill.
Average Ann recalls the maxim, “eight ever; nine never,” which dictates to finesse for a queen with eight cards or fewer. Therefore, she continues with a spade to the king… easy hand.
Serious Sam knows the principle of “restricted choice,” which states that, when an opponent drops one of two equal cards, he is less likely to hold the other. Therefore, he continues with a spade to the ten… oops, down one.
Sam made the correct percentage play in the spade suit. West was dealt one of two spade holdings: jack singleton (6.2 percent chance) or queen-jack doubleton (6.8 percent), but in the latter case West has a choice of plays. Assuming that West plays without bias, the probability of jack from queen-jack would be only 3.4 percent (half of 6.8). This makes the singleton jack more likely.
Expert Elaine (chauvinists, take note) knows all about restricted choice, and she would play as Sam did if her contract depended on the spade suit. But she is not blinded by a single tree. She notices a second chance — an excellent one — if the spade queen does not drop. Therefore, she plays a spade to the king… oh well, her backup plan wasn’t even necessary.
Do you see what Elaine had in mind? If the spade queen did not fall, she would cash both top clubs, three top diamonds (throwing a club from dummy) and the remaining top heart. A spade is led to East, who must yield a ruff and discard (unless he held another heart).
How To Make a Game Try After Interference
31. 4 by South
| Both Vul | A 6 2 A 6 4 J 6 2 9 6 4 2 | |
| Q 7 4 3 J 9 7 8 7 5 4 8 5 | | 10 9 Q 2 Q 10 9 A K Q J 10 7 |
| Lead: 8 | K J 8 5 K 10 8 5 3 A K 3 3 |
| West Pass Pass | North 2 4 | East 3 All Pass | South 1 3 |
The way to try for game in such instances is, if possible, to bid a new suit below the level of your first suit. This does not necessarily show a four-card suit; it merely states that you are interested in game and asks for partner’s help. (Any new suit bid after a raise is forcing.)
What should partner do? With a minimum raise, he should return to the agreed trump suit at the cheapest level. With a maximum raise, he may make any other bid. In this case North simply jumps to game in hearts since he has nothing more descriptive to say.
The defense began with two rounds of clubs, and declarer surveyed his chances. If trumps split normally (three-two), there were eight easy tricks: four trump tricks and four side winners. The spade finesse was an obvious prospect; plus the fourth spade would be good if the suit broke three-three. Further, there was the possibility of ruffing the fourth spade in dummy; or, if it was good, discarding a diamond and ruffing a diamond in dummy.
This analysis left no complete picture, but one thing was clear: To keep all the chances intact, declarer must preserve dummy’s ruffing power. The spade suit should be played before drawing two rounds of trumps, else West may cash a third round if the spade finesse loses.
After ruffing the second club, declarer led a heart to dummy, then a low spade to the jack and queen. West returned a diamond to South’s king (nothing mattered). Declarer won the heart king, three rounds of spades (note the eight-spot was good), diamond ace, then a diamond ruff to make his contract.
Key To Winning Defense Is To Avoid Commitment
32. 3 NT by South
| None Vul | A Q 6 4 10 9 A K Q 9 8 5 3 | |
| 10 8 A 7 2 J 10 3 K J 8 6 2 | | J 9 5 3 K 5 4 3 6 4 A 9 4 |
| Lead: 6 | K 7 2 Q J 8 6 7 2 Q 10 7 5 |
| West Pass Pass | North 1 1 3 NT | East Pass Pass All Pass | South 1 1 NT |
The bidding was the same at both tables. North bid one diamond, then conservatively rebid one spade after South’s one-heart response. When South continued with one notrump, North raised to game, expecting his strong diamond suit to provide the bulk of tricks.
Both Wests led the club six to East’s ace, then the club nine was returned; 10, jack, spade four — a clever discard from dummy. It was apparent that declarer held the guarded club queen, so a shift was appropriate. But here the paths diverged.
At one table West played his partner for the spade king, and he shifted to the spade ten. This was quickly gobbled up by declarer, who had nine easy tricks: six diamonds and three spades.
At the other table West chose to play his partner for the heart king, so he led the heart deuce. What a difference! East won the king and returned his last club, allowing West to run the entire club suit plus the heart ace — down three.
Which card was East more likely to have — the heart king or the spade king? Was one defender just lucky? Or was there a way to figure this out. Judge for yourself before reading further.
Certainly, either case might exist; and one could argue that East was less likely to hold the heart king because South bid hearts. But that is not the crux of this problem. To defeat three notrump, East must have one of those cards, so West should try to keep both chances alive. Don’t commit yourself until you have to.
Leading the spade was committal — if wrong there was no second chance (you saw what happened). Leading a heart, however, would not surrender the contract. Switch the heart and spade kings to verify that declarer could win only eight tricks.
Lowly Contract Fails with Deadly DefenseWest was Lou Bluhm of Atlanta; East was Bart Bramley of Chicago — two of the best players and finest gentlemen in the bridge world. I can attest to this first-hand, as I have had the privilege of playing with each as a partner or teammate; and I can’t remember a bridge mistake or an unfriendly word from either one.
33. 2 by South
| None Vul | 6 4 A 7 6 5 4 Q J 9 2 J 9 | |
| K 10 8 2 A 10 5 K 10 8 5 4 3 | | Q 7 5 Q J 10 3 K 8 4 3 Q 2 |
| Lead: 5 | A J 9 8 3 2 K 9 7 6 A 7 6 |
| West Pass All Pass | North 1 NT | East Pass Pass | South 1 2 |
West did not consider his hand worth a vulnerable two-club overcall, so he passed South’s one-spade opening. North responded one notrump, and South rebid his spade suit to end the auction — Dull City, so far, but keep your eyes on the defense.
West led a low club to the queen, ace; and declarer led a club right back in the hopes of a ruff in dummy. West took the king and shifted to the heart eight; low, 10, king. Declarer ruffed a club with the spade six, and East overruffed with the seven. What would you lead now?
Bramley constructed the layout. He placed declarer with six spades (from the bidding), three clubs from West’s lead and subsequent plays (which implied a six-card suit), and at least two hearts because West led the eight. South’s two other cards were surely diamonds because West would have led a singleton heart originally if he held one and wanted a ruff.
All true. But even with this knowledge the winning defense would elude most players. Do you see it? Bramley led the diamond king (crucial), then a diamond to West’s ace. A naive West would have led another diamond, but this West could count. He led a club, which East ruffed with spade queen to promote an extra trump trick whether declarer overruffed or not. Keen and deadly — down one.
Backdoor Defense Beats “Unbeatable” ContractToday’s deal, from a recent rubber bridge game, resulted in a routine four-heart contract. South opened one heart, North bid his strong diamond suit, and South rebid two hearts showing a six-card suit. This allowed North to raise, and South continued to game. As the cards lie, the contract appears unbeatable — it is if you waste your time at the front door, but watch how it dissolves with this backdoor defense.
34. 4 by South
| N-S Vul | 8 6 2 J 10 A K Q J 6 J 10 5 | |
| Q J 10 5 5 4 2 7 3 Q 8 7 4 | | A 7 4 3 A 3 9 8 5 4 K 9 2 |
| Lead: Q | K 9 K Q 9 8 7 6 10 2 A 6 3 |
| West Pass Pass All Pass | North 2 3 | East Pass Pass | South 1 2 4 |
West led the spade queen; East won the ace and paused to think about the defense. Besides the spade ace and heart ace, two more tricks were required to defeat four hearts. South was sure to hold the spade king (from West’s lead), almost sure to have the club ace (from the bidding), and likely to have the king-queen of hearts. The best hope was to find West with the club queen. But would it do any good to lead clubs? No; declarer would duck the trick to West’s queen, then dummy’s jack-10 would trap the king.
Since a direct attack was futile, East tried something else. He led a diamond. Don’t laugh; this was a great play. Declarer won the 10, and led a low heart to dummy’s jack. East made another fine play — he ducked. Declarer continued with a heart to East’s ace; then came the killer — another diamond. West still held a trump, so declarer could not win any more diamond tricks. Eventually, the defenders would win two club tricks — down one.
Defensive tip: If declarer leads the club jack from dummy, East should not cover with the king.
Enemy Bidding Pinpoints Winning FinesseAt stake was a free trip to Nottingham, England, to compete in the World Junior Bridge Championship. The collegiate winners already had earned a berth, so just one other pair would be chosen to augment the team to six members.
My son Rich was among the contestants, partnered with Mark Caplan of North York, Ontario. Florida to Ontario was too long a distance to allow any advance practice, so I was not surprised when they finished in the middle of the pack. Nonetheless, it was a valuable experience, and they had a great time. Today’s deal was a bidding triumph.
35. 7 by South
| N-S Vul | A 3 2 Q 9 6 4 Q J 10 8 4 3 | |
| K J 8 7 6 3 K Q 10 9 7 6 4 | | 10 9 7 6 5 10 8 K 9 7 5 J 8 |
| Lead: K | Q 4 A K J 5 3 2 A 2 A 5 2 |
| West 3 Pass Dbl All Pass | North Pass 4 NT 6 | East Pass Pass Pass | South 4 5 7 |
West’s preemptive opening was passed around to Mark, South, who jumped to four hearts. This showed a good hand — never preempt over an enemy preempt — so Rich, North, liked his chances for slam. Four notrump was Blackwood; South bid five spades (three aces), and West doubled (best attributed to youthful inexperience).
North, knowing that all four aces were held, saw that the diamond suit could be established by a finesse. And the finesse would surely work because of West’s weak bid and double of five spades. Therefore, he bid six clubs, hoping his partner would interpret this as the “grand slam force,” which asks for two of the top three trump honors. Mark did indeed. Seven hearts!
West led the club king, and declarer had no trouble getting rid of his spade loser on the diamond suit — thanks to the finesse.
In general, it is wrong to attempt a grand slam that depends on a finesse — you have more to lose than to gain — but that assumes the finesse is about an even chance. In this case the diamond finesse was at least 90 percent (my guess), so the kids were on the ball.
Worldwide Bridge Contest To Be Held This WeekBroward County sites include the Bridge Club of Tamarac, phone 726-1095; Ft. Lauderdale Bridge Club, 761-1577; Pompano Beach Bridge Club, 943-1733; Executive Bridge Club (Hollywood), 925-9873. Contact the club nearest you for starting times or other details. But get out and play! You don’t have to play well to have a great time.
Today’s deal occurred in last year’s contest. Many pairs bid to six spades (the proper contract), which makes easily because the diamond suit can be established with a ruff. But this deal is curious from another standpoint: Suppose South becomes declarer in seven notrump. Can it be made against any defense? Place your bets.
36. 7 NT x by South
| Both Vul | A K Q 10 9 3 Q 8 7 Q 2 A 3 | |
| J 5 J 9 6 5 9 5 7 6 5 4 2 | | 6 4 K 10 4 J 10 6 3 K Q 10 8 |
| Lead: 4 | 8 7 2 A 3 2 A K 8 7 4 J 9 |
| West Pass Pass Pass Pass | North 1 4 5 7 NT | East Pass Dbl Dbl Dbl | South 1 1 NT 4 5 All Pass |
I made up the auction shown. North’s jump to four clubs was the Gerber convention (like Blackwood) and East doubled to show strength in clubs. In fact East never stopped doubling; how dare anyone bid seven notrump when he has nine high-card points and stoppers in three suits. Last chance: Would you rather play or defend?
Here’s how to make it. Win the club ace, heart ace (optional), and lead five rounds of spades, throwing two hearts from your hand; East discards two clubs and a heart. On the last spade, East is squeezed: (1) If he throws a diamond, all your diamonds are good. (2) If he throws the heart king, throw a diamond from your hand, then the heart queen squeezes East again. (3) If he throws the club king, throw a diamond, then lead a club to your jack to squeeze East again. Pretty neat; a real squeezaroo.
Well, did you think it could be defeated? Congratulations! You are right! An original diamond lead beats the contract.
Worldwide Bridge Contest HighlightsThe winner? A Polish pair scored 79.17 percent. An Australian pair was second with 78.75; Canada (Nova Scotia) was third with 78.17. It is rare to score over 75 percent in a bridge event, so these scores suggest to me a great imbalance among the skills of the players. But that’s easy for any United States player to say — we got beat.
Richard Waugh and Melba Pickvale of Ft. Lauderdale came up with one of the best local scores, 68.9 percent. Waugh demonstrated some sparkling technique on today’s deal (No. 8 in the booklet), winning 12 tricks with no help from the defense. His accurate play punched a hole in the analysis of Omar Sharif, who stated that only 11 tricks could be made. Oh, well; I’d like to see Richard Waugh play the role of Dr. Zhivago.
37. 4 by South
| None Vul | 7 2 A J 6 3 2 3 A K 10 9 7 | |
| J 9 8 5 10 9 8 5 K 6 Q 8 4 | | K K Q 4 J 10 9 8 7 2 6 5 3 |
| Lead: 10 | A Q 10 6 4 3 7 A Q 5 4 J 2 |
| West Pass Pass Pass Pass | North 1 2 3 4 | East Pass Pass Pass All Pass | South 1 2 3 |
Waugh, South, became declarer in four spades after an auction that appeared to be a misfit. It is instructive to note the order of suit bidding: North’s hearts-clubs-clubs indicated five-five shape; South’s spades-diamonds-spades indicated six-four shape. This latter knowledge allowed North to raise with a doubleton.
West led the heart 10, won by the ace, then a spade was led; king, ace. East’s card was an omen of the bad trump break, and Waugh took full advantage. He continued with a club to the ace; heart ruff; club king (no finesse); then another heart ruff, felling the king. Next came the diamond ace; diamond ruff; heart jack (discarding a diamond); and a club ruff as West helplessly followed suit.
At this juncture, South remained with the queen-10 in spades and a diamond; West held J-9-8 in spades. Declarer simply led his diamond which West had to ruff. The forced spade return gave declarer the last two tricks.
Bonaventure To Host July Fourth Tournament