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Useless!

Aces can be as useless as Jacks!

We know that jacks are often not worth one high card point. Yet, sometimes aces are just as useless!

Today’s story centres around an event that never happened, though the deal itself certainly did. Indeed, it occurred in the Christchurch Congress 5A Teams only two days ago. It might have occurred in a Victor Mollo “Menagerie” story as it features a situation where one side with 25 high card points between them cannot make a game whereas the side with just a 15 count not only can make game but there is only one lead, not necessarily the most obvious lead, to stop them making a small slam.

Adding to the intrigue is that the poor hand on lead to a high- level spade contract had 21 high card points, including 2 AK and one KQ combination. You would think that that hand could generate some tricks for the defence!

 

We do have 21 hcp and they have bid on to slam. We only need two tricks for starters. It does not look hard ..but where do we start?

There were 18 tables in play and none of them actually generated the complete above sequence though at 5 of the tables, a sequence very similar to the above occurred in that they reached 5. At four of those tables, 5x became the final contract while one East-West trod a dangerous “high-wire” with a 6 sacrifice. I am sure West did not believe they were sacrificing!

At 8 more tables, 4x became the final contract with one or two overtricks occurring in each case while at the other 5, East-West found various contracts in which to go down undoubled, as excellent sacrifices, the most unusual being 3NT.

We will look at whether East should take any action after West’s double of 4 a little later. However, given the sequence we gave you above, what would you lead to 6x....you did double it, I presume?

The most technically correct lead would seem to be a trump since declarer can surely only make tricks on a cross-ruff. It does seem to be futile to lead a high club as the bidding surely indicates a club void somewhere. Since West has only 3 hearts, then it would seem more logical to lead a top heart if you were starting very high. Yet, none of these leads would see 6 beaten. It would have needed a top diamond to do that for certain. These were the 4 hands:

 

There were four losers in an East-West club contract while North-South found a spade lead to take the first 7 tricks against the enterprising 3NT!

After the A lead, South can enjoy themselves on a cross-ruff and set up South’s hearts for 2 diamond discards to wrap up 12 tricks. Of course, if South plays West for AK and 2 small hearts, they can advance Q on the third round of the suit to try to "pin" Jxx in East's hand which would ultimately result in a diamond loser. I am sure Hideous Hog would not make that mistake!

And over 4x?

So, what should East do? There is no clear right answer. They might get the right answer for the wrong reason, bidding on with 4NT (“Pick a suit, please, partner”) on the basis that they should have a 4-4 heart fit and maybe a double fit in hearts and clubs.

Although that was not quite the situation, bidding on was best as long as you kept bidding on and on and if you finally were confronted with a lead to 6, made the right choice. That was all a long long way from reality for those who elected to try and beat 4x. While North would likely be distributional, South’s club void was an extremely cruel blow for the defence.

It is often wrong to double a major suit game when you hold a strong 1NT opener…. but a strong 2NT opener or very close to? Tough on West but more good copy for Victor Mollo if he were around Christchurch last weekend.

Are you Greedy?

1NT is 12-14. You can play your own defence to 1NT. What would you like to do?

Richard Solomon

 

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