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Diamonds You See …and Diamonds You do not!

Partner leads your suit, sometimes yours and partner’s suit. It’s 3NT by your left-hand opponent who has announced a hold in that suit. You have a very short instant to plan the defence (“please take your time, declarer, I need your thinking time to think!”).

Very unhelpfully, with barely a thank-you to dummy, they call for a fairly quick low card from dummy…and it is over to you, twice within the space of just a few minutes. You really want to get the decisions right, don’t you?  Both times, you are playing Pairs.

 

You risk an overcall, perhaps for the lead. You hold your breath for a minute when South doubles ("action double") but can relax when North bids again… and you get your wish, 7 lead. Declarer plays low from dummy.. and you?

Let’s look at this one first. Your options are

• to win, cash your second high honour and almost certainly give up. Playing Pairs even two tricks may yield a top.
• To win and switch, presumably to diamonds though maybe to spades with the very slim chance when the king is the only spade hold in declarer or dummy’s hand.
• To win and return a low club hoping your partner held  Q97.
• Not to win at all.

 

Such are the vagaries of the Pairs game that just cashing a couple of clubs can sometimes be worth an unexpected bundle of match-points. However, the look of that dummy with just one diamond and a paucity of high-card points does suggest that declarer may be struggling for their contract. Of course, they may just have a string of high diamonds, Q and little else. Had that been the case, it is doubtful they would have gone to the bother of an “action double”.

Also, while there are certainly declarers around who would gamble in bidding 3NT with  Q doubleton, or  Jxx, they know what lead to expect and must have some reasonable alternative contract to try. They will pull off an occasional coup, enjoy that post-mortem, but generally will come off second best.

So, what’s left? Take the risk that declarer does not have one of those holdings and aim to beat the contract…and the only way you can realistically enjoy four club tricks is by ducking the first round and hoping your partner has an outside entry (you certainly do not) and a second club:

 

In ducking, you are on a loser when declarer has QJ96, or  J96 or even  Q9 (though if the last situation was the case, dummy’s 10 blocks the suit). When you duck, make sure you play an encouraging card for partner to let them know what they have to do when they do get the lead, if they can!

So, you play 2, low encourage. Declarer has to cross to dummy to take the diamond finesse and within a few seconds, you have taken four club tricks to beat the contract. Far more satisfying than cashing high clubs at tricks 1 or 2..but remember you have to duck the first round of clubs because, if as you hope that South has QJ9, your partner has at most one more club to get to your hand.

The long diamond suit was not visible on the above hand but it was the most prominent feature of dummy on the second:

 

A bit of support from your partner this time but the same ending. 2NT showed a balanced 10-12 hcp. Partner leads Q…and you?

Well, North believed their partner had a spade stop as they bid 3NT. You can see how North planned the play. Partner will win the spade lead and run off seven diamond tricks and find another ace to add up to 9, at least. Of course, North would not be so happy if you, East, held the K, but not much is certain in life, certainly not a lot of 3NT contracts!

You know two things the moment you see dummy:

• South has the K and that it will not be a singleton (well, it would be most unusual if it was!).
• You do not hold the K and whether South or your partner has it, the outcome will not be good for your side!

What then to do? You might duck, discard accurately during the run of the diamonds and pick up a couple of spade tricks at the end, or you might not!

Are there any other options? South did not make a negative double following your spade overcall and North has neither a hold nor length in hearts. Maybe, win the A (dropping the king, in your dreams!) and switch to a low heart?

 

A low heart switch is best in case your partner only has a three-card suit or just in case declarer has, say, Kx and an ugly guess. On this occasion, the A switch would work, too. The 2NT jump and 3 bid both left room for your partner to have some high-card points..and just once in every blue moon, they are the ones you want.

That diamond suit in dummy, this time, was just too threatening to sit back and take no positive action.

There's no time for this as a defender!

In each of today's two deals, you took positive action, by ducking in one case but not in the other. Even if the declarer is not obliging enough at trick 1 to give you any thinking time, as a defender you have to take your own and consider what you can or even what you cannot see, before deciding on your play to the most important trick, the first.

and a bidding problem for tomorrow? Teams.

 

 Your 1NT opener shows 15-17. 2 is a single-suited major with partner's double showing values, though not necessarily diamonds. 2 is "pass or correct" style...and there you are in the pass-out seat. What to do?

See you tomorrow.

Richard Solomon

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