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‘‘Ducking and Diving”

If you play a hand as well as you can, you are sometimes rewarded by an opponent’s slip. That was certainly the case for John O’Connor who is quite a new player to Akarana. He reached 3NT from the West seat after North had opened 2 (5 hearts and a 4 card minor, weak)  and South had raised pre-emptively to 3. This is what faced him:

 

4 looked like a much better option but there was no point in worrying about what might have been. North’s opening 3 lead had gone to South’s jack and if, as seemed likely, North held the A, John could not afford to lose the lead to South as he could envisage losing four heart tricks and at least one in a side suit.

Four spade tricks, four in diamonds and one heart trick seemed too much for which to ask. So, John decided not to win the first trick. South’s jack held and was followed by 4 on which John played the king…and North fell from grace (too tempting!) by winning the ace. That, as they say, was “game, set, and match” to declarer.

 

 

There was a miracle lie of the diamond suit and even though John had to lose to both Q and A, there were no more heart tricks for the defence..and John had rescued his partnership to score 600, thanks to his duck at trick one. Even though North misdefended, this misdefence would not have occurred without that duck.

What though is your plan when your partner opens 1 and right-hand opponent calls 2NT showing the minors? At favourable vulnerability, you, East, hold:

 AT86532

 AJ3

T7

6

At one table, East settled for 4 but South continued with 5. Partner left the decision round to you…and you emerged with 5 but North had not finished..6! Two cashing aces? What has partner got? They opened the bidding. To recap:

West                     North                    East                        South

1                          2NT                        4                          5

Pass                       Pass                       5                         Pass

Pass                       6                          ?

East took insurance and very wisely too, as these were the 4 hands:

 

 

Two down in 6 even doubled is very very cheap. It was not even doubled when one East took a much more rosy view of their hand earlier in the bidding:

West                     North                    East                        South

1                          2NT                      4NT                        5

5                         x                            6                       All Pass

East was not sure what their partner was showing with 5 with North producing one of more confident of penalty doubles ever made. The slam failed but East’s aggression saved any mishap of defending clubs below the 7 level!

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

 

 

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