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Board 29             : “Mixed Success”.  

Today’s and tomorrow’s  two boards involving our Mixed Team at the APBF have something in common, a board number we do not often use. Both involve Jan Alabaster and Graeme Tuffnell, another similarity! Yet, there the similarity ends because the contract which made should have been defeated and the contract which failed could have been made! Sound familiar? 

The first board sees Graeme succeed where many often fail:

 

After a straightforward auction, Jan, East, led 8 against 4. Declarer, North, took A following with Q from their own hand. At trick 2, they led dummy’s 8. What do you play as West?

   
Jan Alabaster and Graeme Tuffnell

Many players like to secure their ace as a trick because of the singleton in dummy. Often, this will be the correct action but not necessarily here. Graeme could see that three ruffs might mean the defence would never score a heart trick. However, let them work to stop him scoring his ace. He played low. Now, the Chinese declarer might still have made his contract but taking the ace would have ensured he would!

 

Graeme knew North held at least four hearts. If ducking cost him an overtrick, so be it. His aim was to beat the game. Yet, ducking is correct either at Teams or Pairs scoring. Had North held KJxx, they would likely have inserted J on the basis that Graeme might have played A had he held it. That was not the lay-out here but it meant when North tried to ruff hearts, Graeme’s ace would not fall.

J went to Jan’s K. Jan exited J with declarer ruffing a heart in dummy. Declarer tried playing A which Graeme ruffed and then played A. The defence had already taken three tricks and finished with two more, including the well preserved A.

Had Graeme taken his A at trick 2, North would ruff a heart (after say a diamond exit) and play a trump towards the North hand. Graeme could win A and play a second trump though North simply loses AK and A. If Graeme ducks the trump, North can successfully ruff a second heart, forcing out Jan’s K and should still succeed.  

Despite Graeme’s good duck, the contract can still be made because West’s doubleton trump means the defence cannot draw trumps quickly. If declarer wins A and plays a trump at trick 2…and West ducks, K wins. Now Q exit to East who plays J. Declarer wins Q, ruffs a heart and plays J. If West covers, North ruffs. A second heart is ruffed. Now A and West can only ruff with A. If they do not ruff, declarer can discard 2 hearts on the diamonds and will lose just a heart and perhaps 2 trumps. That’s tough. Did you know the diamond break was 5-1? 

It is not necessary to take your ace, looking at a singleton, in a suit where you have and you know declarer has length in the suit. The outcome of ducking can be surprisingly successful.

Another board 29 tomorrow.

Richard Solomon

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