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The Only Chance.

Despite your interference, the opponents drift into 3NT. You start off in normal fashion but perhaps there is a time to stop and take stock.

 

2 was natural and forcing to game, denying a major suit. You have your say but the bidding continues with South showing a heart hold as the opposition rest in 3NT.

You lead K which systemically asks your partner to drop an honour (here the jack) or if they have none, give reverse count. They duly drop the J at trick 1 as the K wins the trick. You continue with Q which produces 9 from East and South, who had followed with 7 at trick 1, then playing 8.

Yes, you are still on lead at the end of trick 2. Any thoughts?

What you know is that South holds the A and an opening hand. What you have to hope is that there is a bad club break from which South cannot recover. As you have overcalled, South should correctly play you as being shorter in clubs than your partner. If East has a club hold, how can that benefit your side to actually beat the game? South just must have at least two of A, K and A. Which of those three cards would you like your partner to hold?

A would be worth one trick but then presumably South has 4 club tricks, and one in each major. If only one spade trick, then surely they have 3 diamond tricks?

The same poor situation arises if East holds A. Now, declarer will make spade and club tricks.

Are you there? Is 4 on the table yet?

 

A third round of hearts just would not help in the unlikely but possible situation that East did have a club trick. You needed your partner to have some good cards in diamonds….and they certainly did! Indeed, only Q was needed as if South ducked, the A can be forced out with your K defeating the contract (2 hearts, at least 2 diamonds and a club trick).

Was South asleep to the danger of a switch (defenders rarely seem to switch in this kind of situation) or did they just presume clubs would break 2-1 and the contract would be an easy make? That is a little hard on South as were the heart suit to break 5-3 and the above club break to occur, then they would need to duck hearts twice to break communications to the West hand.

It's a tough deal for North-South. 5 is by far a better game than is 3NT, though playing Pairs, were there a 2-1 club break, declarer has an easy 11 top tricks in 3NT. 3NT is makeable as long as South wins the second round of hearts. Even 4 should be made comfortably after J lead. Declarer would be wise to play AJ before playing a low club towards the king. If West ruffs, then declarer can ruff the third round of hearts high, and draw trump and if they discard, trumps can be drawn and declarer gives up a club.

Of course, even 6 can be made with a 2-1 club break. As it is, in the club game, two rounds of clubs and then 4 rounds of spades sees South’s diamond discarded and declarer just loses a trump and a heart.

It’s not an easy deal for East-West either. They do not want to be too active in the bidding and frighten their opponents to the club game, away from 3NT. However, West does need to take “the only chance” if South does try to make the no-trump game and misguesses the heart position.

Did you record +100 as West? Maybe you led a diamond at trick 1!

Richard Solomon

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