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That Same Old Message

A solid 8 card suit, plenty of aces and other honours. Looks good for a slam though partner made the bidding a little harder when they opened a Multi 2. The opposition had nothing to say. Your nice collection was:

 KJ

 A6

 AKQ98752

A

and you made a polite enquiry of partner (2NT) to ask what type of hand they held. The reply showed a maximum weak 2 in hearts. If that maximum contained the SA and HK, you should be having “grand” dreams and so try Blackwood.

Welcome back to the real world! Partner showed no key cards, no SA, no HK. Yet, they proclaimed to hold a maximum! So, give 6NT a go and see what this maximum is all about. You are playing Pairs and anyway, that Multi 2 opening meant partner would play 6, with the added danger of a low spade lead through your KJ.

They led 9 and dummy was not quite what you wanted:

You                      Dummy

 KJ                     Q5

 A6                      QJT432

 AKQ98752        4

 A                        K1073

South                   North

                             2  Multi

2NT                      3   maximum in

4NT                      5

6NT                      Pass           

Have you made your plan yet?

8 diamonds (they are not (at least not today) going to break 4-0!), 2 clubs, one spade and A adds up to 12. Any problem? Just getting to that K. The spade lead was kind of annoying as you have not had a chance to play your A first. Anyway, you have to try and create an entry to dummy. Play low nonchalantly from dummy at trick 1 and when East plays the ace, throw that king from hand. Now, if East returns anything but a spade, you win, unblock the A, and very soon can claim your 12 tricks.

What happens if the spade is returned? You swear a little, well, maybe a lot under your breath! Do not panic, though. You are in dummy a little earlier than you wanted to be but there is always plan B. 8 diamonds, I trick in each black suit and 2 heart tricks. At trick 3, you just have to take the heart finesse. Just for once, the first time this century, it works! 12 tricks. Look at the 4 hands:

 

 

Say East ducks at trick 1?

6NT is actually cold on any lead. It is interesting if East had decided not to take their ace at trick 1. You really now are completely cut off from dummy and can do nothing other than run your winners and keep an eye on what the defence throw. So, tricks 2-9 will all be diamonds and that will be followed by the A at trick 10. East has to keep 3 cards. If he chooses the A and K9, you have got him if you exit a spade. You will still have QJ in dummy and A6 in your own hand.

If he keeps AT and K, you just have to lay down your heart ace to make 12 tricks. Did West throw 8? I bet they did.

What about a minor suit lead?

That’s not so easy for South and nor would it be if West had led a club (or even a diamond). If declarer wins and tries to sneak a way to dummy at trick 2 with J overtaken by the queen, East will win and return a spade because East should get the picture and will keep K9 to defeat the contract. On the club lead, declarer will succeed by playing K from hand at trick 2 as East must duck that,…we are back to being observant on the run of the diamonds.

That’s all conjecture but what is not is that if you play low from dummy at trick 1 on the spade lead and fail to play the king under the ace, you will go down if East returns the spade at trick 2. (assuming East keeps K9).

and that "same old message" is?

Bridge books are full about planning at trick 1, before you play a card. If you did the right thing here, you might still have to play well to make 12 tricks but you at least give yourself a chance…and you may soon be claiming 12 easy tricks and a near top board at Pairs.

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

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