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Early Planning

A cheap trick early in the play may not be what a declarer wants. What say you?

 

 

 

South opened a 15-17hcp 1NT. With a totally flat hand, North did not use Stayman despite having a 4-card heart suit but simply asked their partner whether they were minimum or maximum for their opening bid (2: range-finder). 9 tricks in no-trumps might be easier than 10 in hearts even if they had a fit.  With 17hcp, South was delighted to accept the invitation.

West led 5 and declarer called for 9 from dummy with East contributing 3. Plan the play for at least 9 tricks.

South could count two certain spade tricks, four rock-solid club tricks and at least two tricks in hearts. The 9^th trick could come from either a favourable heart lie or perhaps from the diamond suit. Overtricks seemed unlikely.

So, with 9 taking the first trick, South played a heart to the jack and a second heart to the queen, both these honours winning tricks. Then, declarer played a third round of hearts….and there was good but suddenly less good news. The suit broke 3-3 with East taking A so that the 6 in dummy would be the 9^th trick…as long as they could reach it..but how?

East returned 8 and South played low from hand with West’s K winning the trick. Let’s see all four hands:

 

West played back a third round of spades which South had to win with the ace. South cashed all four club winners discarding the heart from dummy (pinning hopes on the diamond suit) but when they led 5 from hand, West’s K took the trick and tricks 12 and 13 were won by high spades from West….contract down 1: 3 losing spades, A and K.

Unlucky? Just a little though South should have made their contract. They failed at a time so many declarer errors occur…at trick 1. Can you see why?

South should have realised right from the start that if the 13^th heart was to be their 9^th trick that they needed a way of reaching it. With neither minor suit offering much of an option, that entry to dummy was most likely to be in spades. So, the way to do that was to win the first trick in their own hand with A, even though 9 was winning the first trick!

There would still be QJ in dummy and one of them was certain to win a trick. Declarer was right to play on hearts initially. The club tricks could wait. However, letting 9 win at trick 1 meant the contract could no longer be made.

Good planning, if you won A at trick 1.

Richard Solomon

Note that same would apply if dummy held say Q98, declarer AJ2 and declarer was pretty certain West held K. 

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