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Giving a Rough Ride: for less experienced players and others.

The defenders are not there to make it easy for a declarer and even if their efforts only came down to saving an overtrick (one minute: playing Pairs we should delete that word “only” as saving an overtrick a vital part of the game), they could have given the declarer a “rough ride” on this deal:

 

1NT was 12-14 and 3NT ended a standard Stayman auction. Your partner led J which is the top of a sequence and may or may not contain the king. Declarer plays 4 from dummy. Your play to trick 1?

It would normally be correct to win the first trick and play back 9 allowing your partner to win K if they have it and to force out Q. An outside entry and four club tricks (yes, we can dream a bit!) will see the contract beaten. If we duck, we block the continuation of the suit.

Yet, is that the situation here? A piece of point-counting should convince you it is not. There are 13 hcp in dummy and at least 12 in declarer’s hand. You hold 11. Now, if your partner has K, where is their outside entry? You might create one if they held J or J, though a watchful declarer will not allow West to gain the lead if they can help it.

 Winning A would be wrong if South held K. Make them work for their second club trick. However, you have a choice of interesting defences. You could duck (J wins the trick) and win the club continuation. Your safest exit is your long suit, hearts. However, you could chance that your partner has K. Declarer does not know you have the missing high cards. These were the four hands:

 

If you duck at trick 1, South does not know where K is for sure, though your carding suggests it is with West. You might have played K had you held it but they would not want to be losing the lead too often to West and see a third small club from West.

So, a watchful declarer will take all finesses into your hand, and you, East have all the missing honours! South would certainly do so had you won A at trick 1, returned a club and saw West play a third round (T). Now, West is very much the danger hand.

Let’s say that was your defence, wrong if South held K but about to reap rewards. On the third round of clubs, throw a nebulous heart (don’t encourage hearts: that only helps the declarer as you know your partner will never gain the lead.). Now, South will want to come to hand to take the heart finesse. So, a spade to the king (no finesse!) and Q. That wins the trick!

(Had you taken the K at this point, South will have 8 tricks for sure (2 spades, 3 hearts, AK and a club) and will take a losing diamond finesse to your hand to secure a 9^th trick).

Which finesse will they take next? Even if the heart finesse was working, they still need 3 spade or 3 diamond tricks. Say they run J. You win and return a diamond. South must now play A, crushing their king, to get back to hand. They have to cash winning diamonds now and discard a dangerous club from dummy. Now they repeat the heart finesse and find it is not working.

Declarer will win A and exit a heart leaving you at trick 11 with Q6, A9 in dummy and J5 in declarer’s hand. You are end-played. Imagine, though, you had thrown a spade keeping an extra heart (you had discarded 2, and ducked Q). Then your 2 heart tricks along with 2 club and 1 diamond trick would reap a huge reward unless South picks the fact you have bared your Q. At worst, your side has 4 tricks: at best 5. Poor South can only reflect that the diamond and spade finesses were both working. They had 10 tricks for sure but could not afford to take either finesse.

Whoever said defence was boring!

Who’s Afraid of the Strong No Trump….?

 Well, are you? What about this hand? How would you handle it?

 

1NT is 15-17. You have more cards in your two longest suits than high-card points. It is Pairs.

Richard Solomon

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