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The tale of three ducks!

Well, it is the duck-shooting season! So, let’s see what happens if there are a few ducks around today’s contract!

 

 

Many would ignore North’s diamond suit and would call 1 in response to the opening bid, meaning North would have ended as declarer. We will return to that situation later. For now, the bidding is as shown with 1 showing 5+ clubs and 4+ spades by South’s bidding. Your partner, West leads 9. What do you play to trick 1?

Before you beat yourself up about what you should play to the first trick, take comfort from the fact that 4 is actually unbeatable but that does not mean that it will always be made! Happier? So, if you took A at trick 1, perhaps correct on some days (e.g. when the defence can take A, 2 diamond tricks and K), you can write down a quick -420. While it looks unlikely that your partner holds Q, it is possible.

So, we are over the first hurdle when you duck and 9 wins trick 1. Next comes Q ducked in dummy, and by you, and declarer ruffs to play Q. Did you win K? If so, write down -420 as these were the four hands:

 

After you, East, took K, you play A. South ruffs in hand and can overtake their remaining trump in dummy to draw your remaining trump. Now, AKQ is followed by K and West can take A and play a fourth round of hearts. 10 tricks (3 spades, 2 heart ruffs, 4 diamonds and a club).

Yet, had you found a smooth duck (number 2) of Q, South is in trouble. They can survive by playing a spade to the ace, leaving you with just the K, but if they repeat the finesse, a natural reaction if you ducked in tempo, and West performs duck number 3, the contract must fail.   

At the point you win the second round of spades, these cards remain:

You play A and South has to ruff. If they play diamonds, you will score a second trump trick. So, South must play K…and now comes, hopefully, the third duck, this time by West. If they take A, declarer can still make by eventually taking a club finesse of J. By ducking and then either defender playing a fourth heart after a second round of clubs, declarer must ruff in dummy. South can draw East’s remaining trump but will concede trick 13 to a club, being stuck in the South hand.

That’s not easy defence but it can only be achieved by “the three ducks”.

Meanwhile, had North ended as declarer, for the second time this week in this feature, an otherwise unbeatable contract might be beaten by an oft maligned doubleton lead. This time, it is a diamond from East. It seems normal now for declarer to take a spade finesse. No duck this time as East wins to play a second round of diamonds. As long as North draws trumps and plays a club to the king, or even to 10, they will succeed thanks to the friendly club break.

However, if they do not draw both East’s trumps and play a club, a diamond ruff will beat the contract.

Just another cold game? Maybe….not necessarily in the “duck season”!

Richard Solomon

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