All News

for Junior and Intermediate players...and others! It's Fri day!

Wishing and a ‘hoping.

Having dreams is nice. They do sometimes come true and that is even nicer. We are, of course, talking about playing bridge hands! It’s strange. Often, we say to beware of all the dangers you could encounter in the course of playing  a board. Then, on other occasions, it is a case of being optimistic! So, what about today’s deal?

 

Your 2NT 20-22hcp opening is a little off-shape but near enough balanced. You would not want to be passed out in 1 and find partner’s 4 count was just what you needed to make 3NT, would you?

Yes, North has a 4-count! Hoping you have a good 21/22 count, they bid 3, Stayman, looking for a spade fit. Not today. So, 3NT it is. West leads J and you play low from dummy. East contributes 6, low like, and you win trick 1 with your Q. What’s your plan to make this contract?

You have 5 diamond tricks, Q and a bit of work to do to come to 9! There is no point in sitting there wishing you had opened 1 and played there. There is also no point in sitting there wondering what you will play when West gains the lead and plays 10. That’s the kind of problem we all hate. Where is A? For now, we do not care..or should not.

How best can we come to 9 tricks? Let’s do our own piece of “wishing”. As South, we should wish that East holds A since at some time soon, we will be playing that suit…and if East has A, that gives us 2 club tricks, if we play that suit properly. We can surely come to a spade trick, too. So, 5 diamond tricks, 2 clubs and 1 in each major. Great. +400! I cannot think of a better way to make this contract. OK. Time to stop dreaming and put our plan into action. It is possible that we will not have to worry about where A is. Here's hoping!

 

Often, it is right to play off our long suit of winners first. Here, however, we need to use our diamond suit to provide two entries to dummy so that we can twice lead clubs towards our hand.

So, at trick 2, lay down A and then play a diamond to the J. A low club is played with K winning the trick. So far, so good. Now, a low diamond to 9 and a second club. East is helpless. If they take A and switch to a spade, you will have 9 tricks. If they duck, Q wins and you can cash your remaining diamond tricks before playing K. East can now take 2 club tricks (AJ) but the only other trick for the defence will be A at trick 13. Contract made.

You may say that was lucky but South earnt their good fortune by taking a positive view and willing the defence’s honour cards, certainly A, to be where they needed it to be.

After J initial lead, there was a lucky way for the defence to emerge with 5 tricks. To do that, East has to play 10 on the first round of clubs and J on the second. Then, when East wins the lead with A, they lead 3 to West’s 9 and West can play 10..A, and two tricks in both hearts and clubs for the defence. If the defenders are good enough to find that defence, all you can say is “well defended”.

The initial lead that will defeat 3NT is the unlikely lead of a low spade from West. Now the defence can score 2 spade and 2 club tricks along with A.

Again, if West led a spade instead of J, it is not your lucky day.

 

So, you did need some luck to make your game contract. You needed not just good luck but a positive mind-set from the start to give yourself a chance.

 

Richard Solomon

 

Go Back View All News Items