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Scouts’ “Honour” or motto!

We are not even going to give you what is a fairly ugly lead problem today. The opening lead problem is dedicated to those who do not like leading away from kings. Today is the day you have been dreading, on-lead with four kings and not an ace or a queen in sight…and not just that, but the chances of partner producing either must be slim!

 

2 was Multi, subsequently confirmed as 20-21 balanced. 3 was a major suit enquiry. 3 showed at least one four-card major but North was not interested in which and signed off in 3NT.

So, from which king are you going to lead away? I think we can eliminate the K but you can make a case for a low card in any of the other three suits. North did not seem too interested in the majors (perhaps holding just a 3-card major in case South held a 5-card major suit). So, you try 5.

 

Declarer calls for 2 from dummy and East inserts 9 with South’s Q winning the trick. You can now be doing one of two things:

a.     Bemoaning your bad luck in having to lead away from a king and promising you will never do so again: bad thinking if that is you!

b.    Deciding what you would do if declarer puts Q or J on the table from South. You have noticed dummy’s club suit, haven’t you?

Well, if you were thinking only of your lead, then you will have to catch up smartly as at trick 2, out comes J from South. Which card do you play?

It seems that your partner may hold Q. If that is the case, then it is almost certain that South will aim to lose the first round of clubs as there is no quick route back to dummy’s clubs if that J is a doubleton. So, what to do?

West ducked and that was not good for the defence: well, unless East was alert to the situation.

East took Q and returned a second spade. However, South won to play 7 to 8 in dummy. South now had 5 club tricks along with two spades and 2 red aces to make their contract. For South, there was reward in treating their strong 19 count as a 2 opener. They thought they may well gain an extra trick by ensuring they were declarer in a no-trump contract: and they were correct!  

The defence is tough for both defenders. If East could imagine the true club lay-out, then ducking the J would have been great defence. South will have to abandon the club suit and try to make 4 tricks in diamonds which they cannot do. The contract would then have to fail. South might play J from KJ doubleton, hoping to lose the first round and then overtaking K with A.

Alternatively, West could cover J (definitely the wrong play if South held three clubs headed by the jack, though even then South would have to duck the K) and that would hold the trick. West’s best continuation is a second spade, hoping that their partner can produce J.

That happens and then comes the big moment as a second round of clubs is played. South knows that West would cover with Kx but would they cover withKxx? If West held KQx, they would have been best to have ducked the J.

South would do well to play A, playing for the specific club lay-out above.

Ultimately, the contract made, not because of West’s opening lead, nor because West ducked the J but because East won the first round of clubs. Not easy for East and West might have saved the day by covering and seeing what would have happened on the second round of the suit.

Whichever club you played at trick 2, you should be prepared, as any good boy scout would.

Richard Solomon

and remember tomorrow is Friday where the problems are aimed at less experienced players.  

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