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More of David.

As stated yesterday, we do not see David Ackerley in action very often. So, he is now featured for the second day running after his team’s excellent performance in winning the Wellington  Main Regional Teams.

There are some questions for you with respect to this deal.

 

With the presumption you are playing these cards in slam, which slam would you like to play?

How would you plan to make 6 on the lead of 5 from West? What presumption do you make about the opponents’ hands? When you lose the lead, East will play a low spade.

So, your objection is overruled if you said you would prefer to play in 3NT. Maybe you would but David Ackerley, South, found himself in slam with a bit of a challenge after a difficult auction. 2 from North (Scott Smith) was ostensibly natural with 3NT to play opposite a partner who could have a very minimum opener. David, South, still thought his partner held four hearts and hence 4was a sign off.  Rather dismissing the option of playing in 6, because of his own mediocre three card suit, Scott opted for 6. More on that choice later.

In 6NT, there are different ways of counting to 12 tricks but just about all include making 4 diamond tricks. It might be possible to make 4 club tricks in which case 4 more in hearts would mean that AK in both the other two suits would be all that is required… but there are some big ifs there.

6 is an interesting slam where you might even survive a trump loser as long as there was an even diamond break. Meanwhile, it is imperative in 6 that there is an even, a 3-3 trump break.

After a minute of so’s thought, that was David’s first plan. K, then A and a third diamond saw trumps drawn with East on lead… and not enjoying the choice of exit! David had discarded a low spade from dummy on the third round of diamonds. East exited a low spade running round to J in dummy.

David now had 4 diamond and 3 spade tricks. He either now needed at least 3 club tricks or if no K appeared, 4 heart tricks to come to 12 (with A).

To keep his options open as long as he could, he tried A and a low club ruffed. Back to dummy with a spade to A, he ruffed a second club. Both opponents followed suit but there was still no sign of K. David was now out of trumps.

It was down to the heart suit. How would you play it for 4 tricks? Who held the Q? From West’s initial rather passive trump lead, David decided that West had some honour cards to protect. He was right. In hand, he led J and held his breath. That card held the trick.

Like other suits, hearts broke evenly and David had made his contract, a reward for good technique and keeping as many options open as long as possible.

Sometimes, bidding does not always take us to an easy contract to play, as here. Scoring 3 spade tricks had meant that David had needed 4 tricks in hearts when 3 rounds of clubs failed to produce the king.

 The most challenging initial lead would have been a spade from West and then East playing Q on the second round of trumps, playing West for Jxx. Then, to be successful on the actual deal, David would have needed at least a second club trick which would only have come from an immediate club finesse.

Of the three possible slams, 6 seems to be the best. Scott commented afterwards that rather than jump to 6, he should have bid 5NT to offer David a choice of slams. Had he done so, David may well have made Scott declarer in 6.

Of the four declarers in 6, David was the only one to succeed while one other declarer made 6NT on a less than passive 9 lead. Most of the rest of the field rested in the safety of 3NT.

Tomorrow, we look at the play of Scott and David’s teammate, Michael Ware.

Richard Solomon

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