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Sour Grapes?

Perhaps that is indeed how I feel about today’s problem which seemed to be a problem for a good many defenders less than a week ago. So, it’s your turn.

 

Your partner leads 6 and your lead style is “2nds and 4^ths.” Declarer plays low from dummy. Which club do you play to trick 1?

Not all East players received the same club lead from their partner but in all bar two cases, they all received a low club lead. What is certain is that of the 32 tables where a club was led against 3NT, the contract was defeated only 9 times. The contract should have been defeated by three tricks!

So, your choice was?

 

Third Player Plays …High

Unless there is a very good reason not to. Is there?

We can surely discount the situation when our partner has neither the A nor Q. It really does not matter which club you play. The same would apply when your partner has both those cards though it would seem easier if you played T, avoiding your partner having to overtake J in a case where, say, declarer had a 4-card suit headed by 9.

What though if declarer had the ace and your partner Q to 4 more clubs?  Whether you play T or K, South will play low…twice, cutting communications to your partner’s hand. (You hold the potentially valuable outside ace, not your partner.)

Finally, say declarer has the queen and your partner the ace, again supported by 4 small clubs? South must make a trick in the suit. It would be up to your partner to duck the second round of clubs to preserve communications. It should not be your decision to duck the first round because as you can see, there is another possibility where ducking is most certainly wrong.

Perhaps the situation was not quite as clear for those whose leads were not “4^th highest”. However, for those who were leading 4^th highest, it would seem there is no excuse to play 10. That 6 lead makes the situation absolutely clear. (Excuse me while we do a little maths!)

6 from 11 is 5 being the number of club cards in the North, East and South hands higher than 6. We can see 4 of them and therefore if declarer has the ace or the queen, they do not have another club higher than 6.

So, if for no other reason than the actual situation, the king must be the correct card to play at trick 1.

Just checking…

As East, here’s hoping that having played K at trick 1, you played T at trick 2, giving your partner “present count” i.e., higher of 2 remaining, an original 3-card holding. This is technically the correct card to play so that partner can gauge what to do next. On this occasion, as you can see, it was not just "technically correct" but vital to avoid blocking the suit and having to send a swift apology note to partner!

Were you North-South, conceding -300 and a bucket-load of imps on this board? Like my partner and I. Sour grapes, indeed!

Tomorrow is  Fri   play day for our newer players.

Richard Solomon

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