All News

Five Level: Fast Lane!

There were plenty of decisions to be made around the table with today’s board. Try the following one as South. You are playing Swiss Pairs.

 

 

You have not got enough to bid over partner’s 1 opening even though that showed at least a 5-card suit. However, subsequent bidding improved your hand. 2 was an Intermediate Jump overcall. That did not stop your partner from competing.

East had their say, too. With 10 tricks being easier often than 11, you try 4 though the opponents were not defending that contract. What say you now?

It seems most likely that your partner is void in spades. Does that mean the opponents can make 4 or maybe our side can make a red suit contract at the 5-level? A tough choice.

South bid 5. Only one of the three possible game contracts, 4, 5 or 5, could/should be made. Let’s see which.

 

4 is close but not quite there. The defence must take 2 heart tricks and a club. Even if South does not score a club ruff (they might if West takes the finesse when in dummy), their spades are just too good even if East starts from dummy with 10, which South must cover. So, North-South could record a small plus by defending 4.

5 is quite simple to analyse. The defence has to score a trick from the heart suit to beat this game. Normally, East will lead a spade, ruffed. North should try 9, which will probably win the trick. East can win a second diamond to play a second spade, again ruffed by North. After cashing A, a third trump is played to the South hand and a successful heart finesse can be taken to enable 5 to be made. Note that North cannot afford to play a club from the South hand after this start as West would win and could then play a top spade to defeat the game. (North has run out of trumps.)

On the lie of the cards, declarer could win the first round of diamonds with Q in dummy and then play their club though ducking 9 works whenever there is a 2-1 diamond break. Nevertheless, there are 11 tricks to be made.

and 5?

At the table, North was unsure about the diamond contract after South’s initial heart support and they retreated to 5 which was doubled by East. The lead of A and a second diamond, ruffed, would ensure the defeat of this contract.

However, when East led a spade, North had a chance for glory. Two clubs had to be ruffed in dummy and North had to both avoid both a trump loser and a diamond ruff. There was a way as long as North ruffed the opening lead and played specifically the K.

West had to win this but was unable to score a diamond ruff. It did not matter if they exited a high spade or a trump. Declarer has to take the heart finesse. So, if a heart was returned, they can play A, ruff a club and play a heart to their J. The second club ruff follows and declarer can ruff a second spade, draw trump and claim.

The order of the cards is different but the result the same if West had returned a high spade when in with K. Had North exited a small club at trick 2, East can win this trick and then give their partner a diamond ruff to beat the contract.

So, was it right for South to bid over 4? The answer is maybe. It was certainly very interesting if they did so.

Richard Solomon

Go Back View All News Items