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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

Don’t rely on it!

Good Fortune..or Good Defence ?

The following 3NT contract was beaten (well at one table) but on the actual defence could have succeeded. Yet, on the actual lead, the contract should not have been made.

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West Deals
Both Vul

Spade-small

A 7

Heart-small

K Q 10 9 7

Diamond-small

6 4

Club-small

K 9 8 5

   

N

W

 

E

S

 

Spade-small

K 10 9 6 4

Heart-small

A 5 4 3 2

Diamond-small

Q

Club-small

10 7

 

West

North

East

South

 

dummy

you

 

Pass

1 Heart-small

1 Spade-small

2 Club-small

Pass

3 Club-small

Pass

3 NT

All pass

 

 

 

After a routine auction, South ended in 3NT with your partner, West, leading Spade-small3 . Declarer plays low from dummy at trick 1. Plan the defence. You are playing Teams.

We can assume that South does have a spade hold or else their bid over 3Club-small would have been an asking 3Spade-small. There would be no reason for South to risk 3NT holding just Spade-small Qx. They would face a frustrated partner who held two small spades and saw the defence take the first 5 or 6 tricks. South does have Spade-smallQxx or better.

So, it is not as simple as winning Spade-smallK, returning a spade, and await for a heart to be played. With only Heart-smallA as an outside trick, you need some help from your partner to beat this contract.

What about the Spade-small3 lead? Surely not a singleton but could be Spade-small32 doubleton. Let’s be a little more hopeful. Where your partner has not supported your overcall in the bidding, it can be a good idea to lead low from any three-card holding, with or without an honour. Let’s hope, therefore, that West does have 3 spades…and then the winning defence starts to become more apparent.

At one table, East won Spade-smallK and switched to Diamond-smallQ. South would have breathed a big sigh of relief.

West Deals
Both Vul

Spade-small

A 7

Heart-small

K Q 10 9 7

Diamond-small

6 4

Club-small

K 9 8 5

Spade-small

8 5 3

Heart-small

J 6

Diamond-small

J 9 8 7 5 3

Club-small

A 4

 

N

W

 

E

S

 

Spade-small

K 10 9 6 4

Heart-small

A 5 4 3 2

Diamond-small

Q

Club-small

10 7

 

Spade-small

Q J 2

Heart-small

8

Diamond-small

A K 10 2

Club-small

Q J 6 3 2

 

West

North

East

South

 

dummy

you

 

Pass

1 Heart-small

1 Spade-small

2 Club-small

Pass

3 Club-small

Pass

3 NT

All pass

 

 

 

 South had time to score one heart trick and four club tricks which along with 2 spades and 2 diamonds came to 9. At another table, East won Spade-smallK and continued with a second spade. The spotlight was now on South. Had they played Heart-smallK, 9 tricks would again be made as when in with Club-smallA, West had no spade to play since East had to win Heart-smallA to remove declarer’s second spade hold.

However, the declarer tried firstly a club to Club-smallJ. West could win Club-smallA , remove Spade-smallQ on the next trick and East took the last 3 tricks, Heart-smallA and 2 spades for one down.

That was lucky for East as they had missed the best defence, that of ducking the opening lead to South. Then, it would not matter which suit declarer played at trick 2 as if it was a heart, East would win and play a low spade removing Spade-smallA..and West would still have a spade when in with Club-smallA to defeat the contract. The key was that Spade-smallA was doubleton and declarer could not duck the second round of spades.

Notice that even with the lucky fall of Heart-smallJ on the second round, if declarer plays on hearts, they still need one club trick to come to 9 tricks. Again, the contract had to fail. 

So, did you beat 3NT legitimately or were you left hoping that South played, for them, the wrong suit at trick 2?

Richard Solomon

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