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Searching for a Clue. 

The guide-line for playing 6 of a suit contract, leaving aside shortages or long suits, is a minimum of 31 hcp. For 6NT to be bid, the recommendation is a minimum of 33hcp. So, those who stayed out of the slam below may well have been onto a winner. 

There are 31 hcp between the two hands though they are fairly flat, indeed so much so that there is no advantage in playing 6 as opposed to 6NT. Theorising is fine. Most of the North-South pairs found themselves with the job of having to make one of those contracts, usually by South and usually after the unhelpful lead of A and a second diamond from West, with East following to both diamonds (perhaps another advantage of 6NT had East not followed to the second diamond)!

 

So, what’s your line? (Opening 1NT with a 5332 type hand, if you can, saves awkward rebid problems after a 1 opening.)

Maybe a 4NT quantitative raise best sums up the North hand opposite a 12-14 opener….and then the contract would have been two levels lower. That looks a much better spot as even with a working club finesse, you only have 11 tricks.

Some declarers did not help their cause by winning the diamond continuation (unblocking Q at trick 1 is a good idea), crossing to the South hand and planting the Q on the table. Not a good or successful line. You need the club finesse and more. So, see if you are still alive by leading a low club towards the jack. Miracles! You are. J wins the trick. No 10 falling from East, though.

At least one declarer then decided to see whether cashing red suit winners would yield any information. A singleton Q would have been extremely helpful…but no! So, both opponents followed uneventfully to the two top hearts but on the third round of diamonds, East discarded 9. These were the 4 hands:

 

 

It was time, then, to cash the remaining spade winners. That 7 in dummy posed a little threat with only three hearts left in the opponents’ hands, even though they were all larger than the 7. East had started with only 2 spades and so had to find three more discards, T and a club but no T on the first two rounds. West had to discard twice and could or should have thrown both diamonds. They parted with 8 and a diamond which gave South a complete count of their hand, 3352 shape. So, the 7 could be thrown and A and Q took the last two tricks.

Had West kept 8, the 7 is thrown from dummy and East can throw Q. South now has to guess whether to play West for K and the remaining heart or East for singleton T and that 8. Good discarding if East had still 8 though my money would be on West having just the one club.

On this occasion, an early second small club from South would have brought welcome news for South though in such a situation, it is always best to cash your side suit winners first just in case you can learn a little more about the shape of the opponents’ hands. Here, the presence of 5 diamonds in the West hand, plus the unwise throwing of their 8) helped declarer count out the West hand and play West for doubleton K.

Those in game could count themselves somewhat unlucky this time. However, when in slam, you must put as much pressure on your opponents as you can to make a difficult contract just that bit easier.

Reds v Blacks?

Could it be on this deal?

 

Pairs: What is your bid now? Assuming North’s next bid is 5, would you take another bid after 5 is passed round to you?

Richard Solomon

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