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may be easier!

Easier than Declaring?

If only we knew when that would be. When the opposition have bid aggressively and quickly to the 5-level, there is little time to decide. It’s Pairs and neither side is vulnerable.

 

Maybe South should have stood their partner’s values double of 5 but they were conscious of missing a major suit game. So, they bid on ending in 5. West led 10 and you won trick 1 in dummy. What’s your plan for 11 tricks, maybe more?

This deal caught out a number of declarers who failed to make 11 tricks. There are problems in both red suits. At some tables, South won the opening lead and took an immediate heart finesse. This lost with West continuing K ruffed by South. They cashed A and tried to ruff a heart with 7 in dummy though East was unkind enough to overruff with J. A was an inevitable third loser with the final contract being one down.

This was an especially poor result when 5x was destined to be down 3, -500 as these were the four hands:

 

There were two spade losers and one loser in each other suit for East had 5x been the final contract. The spade break seemed to make the difference between -300 or -500 though with North-South not vulnerable, there was more case for South trying for down 3 rather than going for 11 tricks.

However, was trying to ruff hearts a great idea? Since two hearts had to be ruffed, the contract would be in danger whenever the heart finesse failed and East held J. Their pre-empt marked East with less than four hearts. The heart finesse was likely to fail.

It seems that the location of the A was even more important than that of the K. Were East to hold it, the chances of East holding K were slim….and East could switch to a heart were they to win with A.

So, it would seem better to play a trump to hand at trick 2 and play a low diamond. Even if West ducks, they will win the diamond return with their Q (Would West really insert Q on the first round of the suit?). They cannot attack hearts and declarer can ruff the club return, play a spade to the king and ruff out the A, taking advantage of the favourable trump break.

Indeed, with trumps breaking 2-2, there are 12 tricks for South. Had the break been 3-1, South would have to try the heart finesse when in dummy with K as there would be no entry back to the established diamonds.

So, there are routes to 12, 11 or 10 tricks. Our South was unlucky both that East had only two hearts and held the J. Had East not been able to overruff, then declarer could have played a trump to hand but then they had to play a diamond rather than ruff the remaining heart, or else they would have lost 2 diamond tricks wherever A was placed. So, if diamonds had to be played, play them early..and take advantage when the lie is favourable.

Even though against 5x, South has to switch to a diamond before East can play a heart from hand, it was an easier deal for South to defend than to declare.

Richard Solomon

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