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It's Fri Day: for Junior, Intermediate and Novice players...and others.

More Chance of Success.

We would not put all our eggs in one basket if we do not have to. We know what happens when we drop the one basket: our contract fails.

So, how are you planning on making 4 below? West has led the K.

 

While you are working that out, a quick word on the bidding. It is quite popular to open 1NT if you have the right number of high card points and 5 of a major with no other 4+ card suit. That saves perhaps an awkward bid on the next round of bidding.  Had South done that, North would bid 2, Stayman, and the heart fit would be found. North jumps to game.

In the sequence above, South opened 1 and raised North’s natural 2 to 3, a good action with three card support including an honour. However, North, who was just too strong to jump to 4 immediately, could now do so, knowing that South must have 5 hearts and only a minimum hand. That is called a “Delayed Game Raise”. Either way, the 4 game would be reached.

Needless to say, at least one declarer went wrong. They won the lead and played a heart to the jack which lost to East’s Q. East then laid down A and within seconds, the defence had taken another diamond and a spade trick. The contract was down very quickly. The basket showed all the eggs were broken!

 

Even if South was going to finesse, they should lay down a high honour first, just in case Q is singleton. Had South done that, West would have discarded on the second round and South would know not to play J on that second round of the suit.

One problem of deciding to finesse on this board is you can finesse through either defender since South has 10. Not only is it not clear which way to finesse but it is also against the odds when you have 9 trumps missing just Q to do so. A better chance of not losing a heart trick above is to play K and then a second heart to the ace whether or not West follows suit.

Yet, there is another reason here to do that. Rather fortunately, West led K rather than a diamond. Had the defence started with 2 rounds of diamonds (and from that West hand, a top spade does seem the more sensible lead), then with an unavoidable spade loser, South must take the correct view in trumps to make their game.

The other basket

Assuming South played their top two hearts (the order does not matter), the contract can still be made. Use your good fortune re the opening lead. You turn your attention to the club suit. If you can play 3 rounds of the suit with both opponents following (or even where J is doubleton and the holder of Q has 4 small clubs), then when you play the 13^th club from dummy, you can discard a diamond from your hand as East ruffs or in the latter case follows suit. All the defence can then take is Q and one trick in each of spades and diamonds.

You survived without taking a finesse (we all seem to take such a finesse through the wrong opponent any way!) and by just cashing winners. Yes, you were lucky that the club break was friendly but your approach had so many chances of success (a singleton or doubleton Q, or a friendly club break). Those chances are so much better than relying on a trump finesse.

Even without having clubs as a back-up, playing two top hearts was the correct play. With Plan B up your sleeve, it was definitely the best action here.

 

Whole…in the second basket..and a successful contract!

Richard Solomon

P.S. On a different day, we might debate whether West was worth a 2 overcall and if they did, whether East would bid 3. Both actions are marginal at best though here would have got West off to a better lead for the defence. 

 

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