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Almost!

Not Quite a Claim!

We love to bid slams though we also like a simple route to the 12 or 13 tricks we need once we get to play one. Nothing too complex, please. Well, that was not quite the situation looking at today’s deal from the Auckland Easter Teams.

 

After your partner opens a 15-17 hcp 1NT, you drive your partnership to slam, choosing your long club suit as trumps. West leads J which you win in your hand with K. There is absolutely no problem as long as clubs break 3-2 or 4-1. Draw trumps and concede a trick to the A. Easy. Great!

However, do not claim just yet. You lead a club towards the king at trick 2 and West discards a low diamond. Suddenly, you seem to have a trump loser as well as the inevitable A. The degree of difficulty has increased more than a little! What’s your plan?

The first thing you do not do is give up. Maybe there is a way. At least go down trying to make your contract.

Steph Jacob was the declarer to discover this bad break. She played a second club with East being forced to play 9 to preserve their club trick. Next came a spade to the 9 and two more rounds of spades, discarding two diamonds from her hand. This was the situation at that point:

East had followed to all 4 spades (holding 5432). Next came a heart to the ace and back then to K and a third heart. East could only discard a diamond or else lose their trump trick. So, Steph ruffed low in hand and exited with Q. East was left with T65 and South with AQ8 and East had to ruff West’s red suit return before South. The last two tricks belonged to South.

These were the four hands:

 

In a sense, 6 is a better contract than 6NT when you get a 5-0 club break, assuming it is East above who has the 5 clubs! However, the very fortunate lie of the spade suit ensures or should have ensured that 6NT makes as well: 4 spade tricks, 2 hearts, 2 diamonds and 4 club tricks. Just knock out the A. Another nice easy slam to play? Maybe not.

The only other successful declarer in 6 was the weekend's double winner, Matt Brown, who played it from the North seat, who received the diamond lead from East to the ace and his king. He won the heart switch with the ace and got the bad news in the club suit. He played a second club with East playing 10 winning in dummy. He cashed Q and played a heart to the king and ruffed a heart with East discarding a spade. Now three top spades with J being discarded from dummy. Again, East and South had only three trumps left and again East had to concede.

 
Steph Jacob...a nicely played slam 
maybe the reason she is smiling. 

So, it’s great bidding and making an easy to play slam and even nicer when you make a slam which is somewhat trickier to make. Keep those slams a-coming!

Richard Solomon

 

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