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“You get the coffees, partner!”

Jan’s Day: Who Gets to Play?

One decision we have to make during the bidding is the level we wish to play. Another is which partner should be declarer. When you have bid and agreed a suit, or have a hold for no-trumps in the enemy suit, it would seem this decision is automatic…but is it?

 

 

4 is a cue-bid showing first or second round control in spades, with slam interest. Well, what’s next?

Jan's Day

Jan Cormack

“The importance of deciding which of the declaring partnership can more successfully cope with the opening lead against a chosen contract is very often overlooked. I have seen many contracts fail because they have been played from the “wrong” side. Even though a certain bid may be technically correct on a deal, there are situations where a player may have to manufacture a bid to enable partner to become declarer.

This is usually done to protect a tenace or an unguarded king, or even to prevent a lead in a suit in which the opposing defender is known to have a void.

An excellent example of a deal being played from the “right” side is the following hand which arose a few weeks ago (in 1986) at my local club.

 

The above was the bidding at Table One. Naturally, East led a heart to dummy’s queen, West’s king with declarer doing the best she could by ducking twice. Unfortunately, West held A and 3NT failed by a trick after the defenders were able to cash this along with four heart tricks.

At Table Two, the bidding took on a totally different slant.

West              North            East                South

                                                                        Pass

1                   2               Pass                    2

Pass               3                   Pass                3NT

All Pass

Initially, South opted to pass and although she now cue-bid 2 over her partner’s 2, presumably asking for a heart stop for no-trumps, North realised that the ace was not sufficient a hold. Therefore, North became the “asker” meaning South could happily bid 3NT holding Q8, knowing that North had a tenuous heart hold.

As you can see, 3NT was undefeatable played by South. (if West leads a heart, they simply give South an overtrick.)

On the following deal, the South player showed he had thought about the “right” side.

 

 

When his partner cue-bid 4, North realised slam was on but he also realised that a club through his AQ might put paid to 6. So, he bid 6NT to play the deal from the North seat, consequently protecting the club tenace.

As it happens, after a club lead from West, 6 does make as declarer wins their ace, cashes K, draws trumps finishing in the South hand and plays two high spades discarding clubs, before playing diamonds. However, North did not know their partner held Q and without that card, 6 played by South would fail whereas 6NT would still be cold as long as North was the declarer.

Good judgement not the toss
of a coin should decide who becomes declarer.

A lot of the time, it is impossible to know on the basis of the two hands of the declaring partnership the “rightness” of one side and the “wrongness” of the other. However, taking the bidding into consideration and the fact of protecting tenaces, it usually becomes reasonably clear which hand is best to choose.”

For Less Experienced Players

 

 Choosing the Declarer once more!

 

What to bid? Are you going to play the board or get the coffees?

Richard Solomon

 

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