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A Deal of Problems

Two bidding and one play problem from the same deal. Sounds like worth a little look.

Pre-empts usually make life difficult for someone. This one made life rather so for everyone including the pre-emptor. Yet, what would be your choice of bids when as West you hear the following sequence:

West          North         East            South

                   3             x                 Pass

and you are holding:

 Q52

 Q2

 A108763

J4

North-South are vulnerable. The choices are some number of diamonds, pass or 3NT. My experience is that for a take-out double of a major, my partner rarely has any length in diamonds. He hates the suit…never holds many. So, I was less inclined to bid a wimpy 4 or a categorical 5.  I really wanted to pass but had a premonition that North could easily pick up my trumps if dummy had just one spade…and so was left with no great enthusiasm but bid 3NT.

On many days, this would have bought the contract. However, partner was there with 4. So, my problems were over.

Maybe two problems in the bidding was enough as 10 tricks were an easy make but what would you have bid with this East hand over 3?

 

 

If you hoped to play in 4 after exploring other options, then double seems fine. It would be a little less fine, catastrophic, if I had elected to pass 3x. The other choice is 4 which initially at least takes away the chance of finding a big club fit. Those who play Leaping Michaels over a pre-empt could bid 4 with some comfort.

However, at just about every other table, the problem was not to make 10 tricks in hearts but 11 for reasons you will see shortly. The lead from South is the K and after ruffing the opening lead, you have to find a way to make 11 tricks. What is your line?

Although there was no really bad break in any suit, 5 out of 8 declarers failed, including two who were doubled. You can afford to lose one trump and one club or two trump tricks. The reason you are in 5 is because North opened 4. That made the East-West bidding much easier but there could be no slip-up in the play.

West          North         East            South

                   4              4NT¹                  Pass

5              Pass            5              All Pass

¹ 2 suited take-out

After ruffing the opening spade lead, the danger is a 4-1 heart break because communication between the two hands will be hard without East reducing to the same trump length as South, and maybe even less trumps. Here was the full lay-out:

 

 

To succeed comfortably, East needs to play a small heart towards the queen at trick 2. If South rises with the king to play a second spade, declarer must play a second heart to the queen and take a first round club finesse. When that loses, South’s best exit is the K. Yet, the ace scores and declarer has a second club to come to hand to draw trumps and claim 11 tricks.

However, at trick 2, if South ducks, and the Q scores, declarer needs to play two top clubs and ruff a club. Were North to over-ruff, trumps should be breaking 3-2 and declarer is almost certainly safe . When 2 scores, declarer can ruff a spade or diamond to hand, cash A and run clubs, conceding two trumps to South. Trump control is vital.

Were, at trick 2, East to play three rounds of clubs, ruffing high in dummy, they will find they lose trump control, probably the reason so many went down. They might just be saved by the J falling doubleton though ruffing a club before playing one round of hearts seems dangerous.

8 spade tricks and East almost guaranteed to provide a 9^th for North on the opening lead would certainly have made passing 3x wrong this time. North really should have opened at the four level and paid a price when East was given a less dangerous contract to play. A hand of problems for all.

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

 

 

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