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Don’t Change Course: You might just be steering in the right direction.

 

Well, that statement is not always true as there are times when a switch is required when you are defending. However, sometimes the most passive defence can turn out remarkably well, if you but knew it. On the following deal, West got creative, desperate and by doing so, let an unmakeable game make.

 

 

 

You lead K and partner shows you an even number of clubs as declarer plays Q. A second high club sees South ruff, play J to dummy’s ace (6 from partner) and then 3 to 6, declarer’s 10…over to you.The opposition are playing 5-card majors.

West might have asked themselves why the declarer bothered to go to dummy to play a trump if the only high trump missing was the ace. It seemed very likely that East had either J or Q…. but we will return to that shortly.

What happened

Perhaps disturbed by no apparent future in hearts and no more than the one trick in clubs, West decided to attack diamonds but that play only benefited the declarer:

 

 

The diamond switch handed an unmakeable contract to South. East could either win, and say, return a diamond, or duck and see South draw trumps and play a second diamond, but in that case, South would still have a trump left after East won their ace. Had East won their ace and played a club, South can ruff, draw trumps and run their winning diamonds...10 tricks.

One way to four tricks

The diamond lead might have worked at trick 1 or 2 as long as East ducked the first round. It would be unlikely that West had led a singleton as that would give declarer 6 diamonds. Thus, the duck is a reasonable line. So, a second diamond to the ace when in with A would allow West to score a diamond ruff for the defence’s fourth trick.

a trump duck?

Might a smooth duck of the 10 work? Well, not really as then South can afford to play K and only then cross once more to dummy to play another spade, not that South could cope with a 4-1 break anyway.However, the smooth duck would be a no cost defence.

An easier 4 tricks

Yet, there was another, perhaps easier way, to beat this game…and West had found it until the fateful switch.

A 5-3 trump fit is often adequate but it may not be if a declarer has to lose the lead twice in order to establish their tricks. Count declarer’s trumps, or watch them disappear!

After the club ruff at trick 2, they were down to 4 trumps. When they played a spade to the 10, they were down to 3 and had West continued with a third round of clubs, South would have 2. They needed both of those to draw East’s trumps and South still had to lose to the A. At that point, South would have no trumps left and thus East would win A and play a fourth round of clubs, down two if West had retained a club honour but certainly down 1.

From West’s point of view, South just had to have honours in diamonds, especially if that J was a true card and that South did not have Q. With a maximum 5 hcp in trumps and a singleton Q and say 1hcp in hearts, they had to have good diamond cards to warrant a game try. Thus, a diamond switch was unwise.

How, though, did West know that South had only 5 spades? They did not for sure but if they had held six spades, a 6-3 fit, then declarer might have played a high trump honour from hand first of all, playing for a 2-2 break, or singleton jack. By going to dummy to play a trump, it was more likely that South had only five trumps.

Clever plan!

Yet, the main reason to continue clubs was that neither red suit had any appeal. Continuing clubs seemed as good a shot as any. If that did not work, then the game was probably unbeatable. As it happened, it was unmakeable!

So, unless it is obvious to switch, or that a switch could gain, do not overlook just carrying on with the same line you took at the start. It would be a shame to switch when your first line was the winning one.

A common theme.

Well, these two hands have much in common, some of which you will never guess.

 

 

This is East hand and East is the dealer.

 

 

This is the North hand and North is the dealer.

The club pips are key to the fact that they are from different deals. So, what fate was to befall the holder of these two hands… and did they end up smelling the sweet smell of success? Too right they did!Should they have done?

Yet, what was their main connection? You will have to wait until Monday for the answer.

Richard Solomon

 

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