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The “Get out of Jail Free” Card.

How can a lead be right and be so wrong? We will come back to that but will firstly look at a play problem. You have reached, or been pushed to the 5 level by the usual frisky non-vulnerable opponents. You are looking at:

 

 

You would seem to have a club loser and will have difficulty in avoiding losing a trump trick! So, it all seems to boil down to that spade guess/finesse. Pre-emptors are allowed to hold the K and will do so when you ask them nicely. So, trumps 2-2, please. Maybe play one high club and then a trump to the queen (come on, the pre-emptor will not have both the K and the A, will they!) You would not appreciate South ruffing your K on the second round of the suit, would you! If they ruff, let them ruff thin air!

So you have a plan? Oh, incidentally they led a diamond enabling you to dispose of that little spade. Then a club...well, you will see what will happen on that line very soon.

Of the 14 tables in play, 4 North-Souths played in 5x, once making and three times one light. One East- West pair had an easy ride in 4 while another found the going just too tough in 6xx. The rest were in 5. Three times it made and four times it failed.

Are you counting? There was one other table where the bidding did not end with the 5 bid.

West          North         East            South

                                                          3

4              5              5              x

All Pass

When was the last time you saw a pre-emptor double a 5 level contract? As North, I could not recall but I did know that something was up as I was the one with both the K and the A. Holding a 6 card club suit, I had a fair idea who was void in that suit. So, keeping partner happy, and hearing the message about not leading his suit, I led a club…but which one? Oh the wrong one? Which lead did I want back? Not a spade! Ouch, I chose somewhat naively the Q.

 

Partner got his ruff and returned a low spade and declarer took stock. If the finesse lost, there would surely be a second ruff and a terrible -500 (in reality -800!). So, declarer decided to cut his losses and play A. The losses were non-existent, +850.

Shame on me. I could have, should have led a low club asking for a diamond back. A decent declarer would eventually take the spade finesse for one down. At least then, I could not be blamed if partner disobeyed and played a spade at trick two. Yet, even then, I was not really blameless.

The only North who found the only 100% way to beat 5 was the pair defending 6xx where the lead recorded was the K! Is it so hard to find when partner has doubled 5? Lead it. Win the trump played at trick 2 and then play Q asking, demanding, pleading partner to return a spade.  

If you did that, you would not have the embarrassment of 5 making, even greater embarrassment when doubled. Partner was right about not leading a diamond and the double of 5 should have guided me if not to the best defence (and maybe it should have!) but at least to a defence which was likely to beat the contract rather than one which gave a desperate declarer a very lucky “Get out of jail free” card.

Richard Solomon

ps. On the line stated initially above, if South ruffs at trick three and returns a spade, declarer will either make or go three down depending on which spade he plays!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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