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THINK BEFORE YOU COVER.

Ideally, well before. Like when you first see dummy. “What if?” is the question you should be asking yourself. Hesitating at the critical point rather gives the game away about an honour’s location.

You might be looking at the trump king. You can see QJ to 5 trumps on the table. Declarer is known to have at least 4. You know at some point soon you will see the queen played. Are you going to cover? Hopefully not. The golden rule about covering an honour is to cover if by doing so, it will or could benefit your side. There is no way that covering that queen could ever benefit your side…and if you were to collect your partner’s bare ace in the same trick, you will have done irreparable damage. (If this happens,make sure you revoke on the second round of trumps!)

Yet, in that situation, so many defenders cover, without thinking of the consequences. You solve declarer’s problem straightaway, even if the ace is in declarer’s hand.  

Of course, it is not always that straightforward, especially when the queen is played from declarer’s hand and you can only see the ace and no jack in the dummy. If it could benefit your side…then maybe you should cover. There is no golden rule though it is generally wrong to cover the first of touching honours, easier to do when you see the touching honours in dummy than when you have to presume declarer holds them. An exception is when you hold K10 doubleton…usually!

So, to the hand from yesterday…

 

4 and 4 were first or second round cue-bids. 5 showed two key cards and no Q.

Your partner leads Q. At trick 2, declarer leads Q. Do you cover?

You know from that 5 response that South has both the A and K, the only 2 of the 5 key-cards (4 aces and K) that you cannot see in dummy. You know very little about declarer’s shape except they are likely to have 6 spades, although they might only have 5 if flattish with no second suit.

Why is declarer taking a finesse so early in the play? You cannot be sure but it hardly seems that covering can gain. They can hardly repeat the finesse and unless you were to be thrown in late in the play with your K to lead away from your diamond holding, ducking is hardly likely to cost. It certainly would be right to duck if declarer had singleton A!

Also, with the J visible in dummy, the textbook play is to play low. At the table, East covered.

 

Declarer won their A and played their two top clubs and then three rounds of trumps finishing in dummy before playing A and 10 discarding hearts. West ruffed and tried unsuccessfully to cash a heart. However, declarer could ruff, return to the  J in dummy and discard their diamond loser on the 5^th club…contract made!

This line was not without its risks. Indeed, had the clubs not broken 3-3, the combination of West’s fourth trump and only two clubs would have defeated the contract. However, you almost knew for sure that the club suit would benefit declarer, even if your partner had just Jx.

The point is that it seemed very unlikely that covering the Q could benefit your side. So, do not! Had you not covered and had declarer embarked on the above line, then they would have had no entry back to dummy to discard the diamond loser on the fifth club.

Declarer could moan about the 4-1 trump break which would have caused the contract’s defeat. The only way the contract can be defeated is by East not covering and by South taking the line they did.

Of course, the contract can and should have been made. Declarers do not always take the correct, winning line.

After the Q held, declarer needs to get to their hand. So, play their 2 club winners and ruff a heart. Now play two high spades in dummy and then play a third club, discarding their remaining heart. When both defenders follow, South can play another club discarding their diamond loser. West ruffs but that is the only trick the defence can score.

So, South may rue their bad luck but only if you did not cover the Q. The rules are generally sound and this hand was no exception to the rule stated above. You may not follow what would happen after trick 2 at that point but there was no apparent benefit from covering that Q. So, don’t. You worked that out as soon as you saw dummy, didn’t you!

Blair's 6 opener revisited

Yesterday, we featured Blair Fisher's 6opener which created two interesting points, when one panelist, Nigel Kearney, recommended with with 9 solid spades missing just the king and 4 little hearts that you might like to pass, await developments and time your entry into the auction. We also reported how on the same hand Vivien Cornell was prevented only by the rules from bidding 8. This story, reported by Wellington's Dale Lacey, may make both Nigel and Vivien smile.

 

“Many years ago, I read of a (quite possibly apochraphy!) deal where South held all thirteen spades. At one table, the big hand started with a “ Pass”. Finally, after the opponents eventually bid to 7, they “reluctantly” sacrificed in 7, doubled and making!

In the other room, South opened 7, over which a canny West bid 7NT. This contract made, too!”

Thanks, Dale, fully justifying Nigel Kearney's action. Unfortunately for Vivien 7NT would have been 11 down even at favourable vulnerability. -2900 is no great save against a vulnerable 7 contract.

Two problems for tomorrow morning:  Both times each side is vulnerable..Teams.

 2 is an Acol style Game Force, well anyone's game force. Partner bids their suit and you use KeyCard Blackwood. 5 shows 1 or 4 with diamonds as trumps. 5 asks for the Q, with the response showing that card along with the K though the K is missing. Your turn to choose the final contract.

 Your bid as North?

 Solutions tomorrow.

Richard Solomon.

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