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Too many of them!

Losing a loser!

Well, you just have to when you are in a 5-level contract and your loser-count seems to total three. All would be well on the deal below had a key finesse worked though by the time you get round to playing the suit, you know it is almost certain to fail. You need a “Plan B”.

 

You reach your contract pretty speedily. 2 was less than an opener with 5 hearts and at least 4 cards in a minor. Your 3 was Intermediate and your partner gave you a challenge. West led A. What’s your plan? The spade break is 2-1.

Well, that last point is nice to know but after ruffing the opening lead, you should have played trumps in such a way that you can finesse through the partner of the 2 opener as they are more likely to hold three spades than the opener. So, K and then a second spade when both opponents follow.

You do not know which is East’s minor, at least not yet. However, a standard and necessary play in such a situation as you are in (with a possible 2 diamond and a club loser), is to eliminate all cards from their long suit (here, hearts) first. So, ruff dummy’s second heart at trick 4.

Then, play A and K and then you deduce East has five clubs as West discarded a heart on the second round of clubs. Therefore, West has the majority of the missing diamonds including very likely the king. Another failing finesse. No worries, though, since you have no hearts in either hand and West has no black cards left, you can just cover whatever diamond East plays:

 

West wins with 10 and has to give a ruff and discard by playing a heart or else leads round to AQ, reducing declarer’s diamond losers to one and total losers to two.

That may not seem to be too hard a line to find but several non-beginner South players failed in their 5 contract, presumably by playing a diamond to the queen. Were North declarer, an immediate diamond lead from East would have beaten 5 but this contract is unbeatable if played by South. The two key plays are to eliminate the defence’s long suit, and trumps, from enemy hands and then cover East’s diamond, rather than finessing.

Loser “lost” and contract made.

Nice hand…but

 

 

A handy 16 count, a little short on aces but plenty of honour cards. So, what do you bid?

Richard Solomon

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