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Safety Play and Safety Way: for less experienced players and others.

In a recent Teams match, both tables reached game in clubs with the hands below. There are some interesting options available to the declarers and not just in 5C but also in the other possible contract of 3NT where less tricks are needed and more can be lost: but not too many more!

 

East had opened 1 and after that the opposition were silent. West led 2 (3rds and 5ths) to East’s J as you played low from dummy. Out came 3 from East.

What do you play on this trick and how do you plan to make 11 tricks?

At one table in the match, North jumped to 3 following their partner’s take-out double. South did not look beyond the club game, making North the declarer. East cashed both major suit aces and then played a low spade. Declarer won with the king and played a low club to the king, noting that West had followed with 10. Next came a low club from the North hand with East following with the remaining small club. What to do…or what did North do? Wait a few seconds to find out.

At the other table, the bidding was as above. 3 was a strange action on such a weak suit. A more normal action would have been 3 asking the question as to whether their partner had a really good heart hold, in effect a double hold and if not, then bid something other than 3NT. Had South done that, 3NT would have ended the auction. However, South struck gold with 3 and thus 5 became the final contract at this table as well.

Here West led a low heart to East’s ace. East switched to a low spade. Correctly, South rose with the king as the opening bidder was on their right.

There is a 100% safety play with the above club suit to avoid losing two tricks in the suit, that is where either defender holds all four missing clubs. “No problem” you might say if it was West as you can take the marked finesse. If it was East, you have no chance if you lay down the ace. So, the unusual line is to lay down the K first and now whichever opponent has all four will only ever score one trick in the suit.

However, one club loser was one club loser too many in 5, especially where both major aces had scored tricks. That was not the case in our second auction. This declarer played a club to the king and then J. East again followed with a low club. Our two declarers took different views but both made their contracts!

 

In the first case, South played the opening bidder for the Q and finessed. Perhaps, the cashing of the two aces by East was a bit of a give-away, a clue, that they expected a third trick.

However, our second declarer was never going to finesse. The J was a tempter for a half-asleep defender to play their queen. East was very much awake, though. Yet, if Q did not appear in two rounds, the contract should still be made as long as East held at least two diamonds.

So, three rounds of diamonds followed the A and the defence just took A and Q; contract made. Declarer took a spade, two diamonds, two high clubs and five trumps by cross-ruffing. The 11^th trick came from hearts (or a third diamond had East not ruffed this card) as East had to cover dummy’s hearts or else declarer would have discarded from the South hand. Of course, it would have been easier for South had East held three diamonds or had the Q fallen in two rounds!
and in 3NT?

3NT by North should also make, if only eventually because 7 was tripleton! A low spade lead would be uncomfortable for North. Were they to lose two spades and two hearts, they could not afford to lose a club trick. Yet, on say Q lead, there is a case to safety play clubs as above, Win K and play K and then a low club and play the ace. Better to lose to East than West. Declarer has 4 club, 3 diamond and a heart trick. East will find it almost impossible to deny North a 9^th trick in one of the majors, as long as North places A where it should be.

Different ways: same result.
(if only!)

So, all routes should lead to +600, some more comfortably than others!

A Tame Auction

 

There were 9 top tricks in no trumps and 11 in diamonds on any lead. Yet, the auction died in 2. Who should have done more?

Richard Solomon

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