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A DEAL TO PROVE THE RULES

Often, boards written up create exceptions to what seem to be the rules or guidelines created to help us through a particular deal. It’s fun seeing when and how and why we should “break” those rules.

Not so, today. Let’s see how many of these guidelines there are in today’s deal. While they are mainly in the play, even the defence, we can check on the bidding first.

Were North -South playing a 15-17 no-trump opening, North would be declarer in 3NT after a very straightforward 1NT-3NT sequence…and then we might not have had a story!

Where 1NT opening was 12-14, North opened a minor. Have we broken a rule here by opening 1 when we normally open the lower of two 4-card suits? No, not my rule with both minors as in competition opening the higher may work out better while it is also nice to open a “real suit” when so often 1 is 2+ or 3+ cards.

Some Souths might call 2NT, their 10-count bolstered by a couple of 10’s though often 1NT on a very flat major-less 10 count may work out well. Here, it made no difference as all routes would lead to 3NT.

Some slightly conservative bidding with South just bidding 1NT. North invited with South very happy to accept the invitation. South received a small heart lead from West. East contributed J when they played low from dummy at trick 1.

Plan the play, including which diamond you will play when you lead towards dummy for your ninth trick (and West plays low).

Those were the instructions with which we left you yesterday. Let’s see what happened and then what should have happened.

The actual play

South took the opening lead with their king to play a club to North’s king and East’s ace. Back came a second heart taking out dummy’s ace. Declarer could then take their three club tricks but at that point, had three tricks in each black suit and AK. They needed a diamond trick. Thus, low from hand, and when West played low, too, they inserted the jack losing to East’s ace.

That sounded good for declarer but before they could take any diamond tricks, East had played a heart to their partner’s queen with the defence taking three heart tricks in all to go with the two minor aces…down one. That was not a good outcome for South and one that should not have happened.

What should have happened

Where each defender to have four hearts, then, as long as declarer made a correct guess in diamonds, they would come to 9 tricks, no matter how they played. Bearing in mind the club break above, that was not entirely true.

However, back at trick 1, the club break was not the factor. Declarer was correct to play low from dummy. It would have been very helpful for South had West led away from QJ. Alas, not this time. When the jack appeared, South did not have to nor should win the first trick.

Duck the first round and you may break the ability of the defenders to communicate.

Had South ducked the first round of hearts, East would have had no hearts left when in with A and South would have made an overtrick with a second successful finesse of the Q.

Duck trick 1 and win trick 2 with the A. It’s better to lose one heart now than three heart tricks later. The same argument applies where a defender has led a heart from a 3-card suit as might have happened were North declarer on this deal.

"Canny" clubs

Let’s move on to the club suit. South made the correct play of leading low from hand at trick 2, correct if West had singleton A or when East has ATxx.

Where you have a possible bad break and finesse in a suit, preserve your tenace (here, Q9) by leading towards dummy and preserving that holding.

There is only one way a finesse of 10 would work and that is by playing first towards dummy. Although East was keen to win the first round of clubs to play another heart, they might have ducked the first round to see if South was “on the ball” or just a little careless. Had East ducked, South must play a second high club from dummy or else they will not know to finesse on the second round.

Let’s assume they were not careless. East would win the second round of clubs, with West throwing a spade…and then a third round of hearts was played.

South would have to play a spade to dummy to win two more club tricks, with two more spades discarded by West.Then came the critical small diamond from South. When West played low, was it a 50-50 guess?

When you have a contract beaten, unless you have masochistic tendencies, do not give a declarer a chance to make that contract.

If West was at that stage staring at the A and two winning hearts, they should not give South the chance to make a successful guess. They would take their A and beat the contract. Yet, they did not play that card. South must make the assumption that they do not have the A.

Were hearts to break 4-4 in the defenders’ hands, West would indeed duck with the A in order to hopefully score a second diamond trick. South may have already worked out by the order of hearts played by East (6 then 2) that they only had three hearts.

However, even if South was not sure, they should play a diamond to the jack and presume that West would have taken their winners if they could. Presume East has A (it is more likely)…and hopefully not Q as well and all will be well for declarer and the contract.

 

and know when to break them!

There were at least three standard rules to follow in the play and the defence. Had declarer played low from both hands at trick 1, they would have proven a basic and important rule right. It was not that they were ever going to make more than 11 tricks on a very good day. A little sensible caution and sensible plays afterwards in both minor suits and they would have scored 10 tricks rather than 8.

When the chips are down

You are in the place you do not want to be…2NT. No good if you make an overtrick: no good if you make an undertrick.

There you are with:

West leads 3 attitude style with your J taking the first trick. You play a club to the queen and East’s ace, with West discarding a low spade.

North wins to return a heart and you will need to find three discards from your hand, two from dummy.What do you throw?

Should you be happy or unhappy at the way the board is developing? You are playing Pairs.

Richard Solomon

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