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                  Planning….

 

You are lucky if you can make a plan to make your contract, “lucky” in the sense that you have a chance. Sometimes, you are in damage control at trick 1.

So, the mental note you make for yourself when dummy is tabled:

• ·        Thank partner

• ·        Make a mental note that sometime later you can tell them they have rather overbid. It is better to do so when you have made your contract and say that an opening hand is not always as strong as they would anticipate.

• ·        Plan

• ·        Play to trick 1, from dummy first.

• ·        Be determined to make your contract.

 

  Seems easy…

 

Well, North really liked his controls, especially in the majors. 4 was certainly an overbid. So, over to you as South to justify their partner’s optimism. West led J.

 

A combined 21 hcp is sometimes enough for a major suit game. With no hcp in diamonds opposite a singleton and two useful black suit fits, it looks like 10 tricks should be there.

 

What happened

Our declarer thanked partner (got that bit right) and won the A in hand to play K and a heart to the ace with the Q falling from East on the second round. Next came spades, K, spade to the ace and a ruff with East neither following to the third round of spades nor being able to over-ruff.

 

However, South was in trouble:

 

 

 

They were stuck in dummy. They tried the effect of K and a third round of clubs which East won. Now a low diamond saw the Q win with West’s J removing dummy’s last trump. Next came A, ruffed… and South had to concede not just a spade trick but another diamond to be down two!

 

Maybe suspend that talk with partner about overbidding! Check out the play first.

Where did South go wrong?

 At trick 1, of course, as so often happens.

 

 

If you are setting up tricks to your own hand, then you generally should keep entries to that hand as long as possible. There would have been no problem had each defender held 3 spades but that will only happen just over one time in three:

 

 Not this time!

 

The key to success was as simple as winning the first trick with the K in dummy. There was nothing to be gained from running the J to dummy’s ace.

So, win the K, play two rounds of trumps (that was wise…as you can see, otherwise, the defence could have scored two trump tricks.) and three rounds of spades, ruffing. Now back to the A and ruff another spade. You can exit a diamond and West can draw one of your trumps but you will ruff the second round of diamonds and play the winning spade…that’s three spade tricks, two spade ruffs, three heart tricks (including ruffing the diamond in hand) and AK..10 tricks made.

 

It’s time, well not yet….later…to discuss the bidding! Your partner is feeling good about their bid and you are also happy with your play. Next board, please!

 

Jan’s Day

 More Planning

 

But this time, you are defending.

 

 

 

 

2is a Weak 2 but may be a card suit, 5-9 hcp. All North’s bids except the last are relays, artificial.

South showed 4 diamonds (3) and 5143 shape (3NT) while the pass of 4x showed a minimum hand.

 

 You lead your club won in dummy. Declarer plays their 3 top hearts discarding two clubs from hand and then a low diamond from dummy to East’s 6 and South’s 7. Over to you?

 

Richard Solomon

 

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