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Hard Graft.

Yesterday, we talked about a rare time to shine with an opening lead to beat a game. Winning a major event, well any event really, requires hard graft, consistently so, over a session. In the Waikato Real Bridge Open Teams, GeO Tislevoll was called upon to defend well to stop a rather opportunistic 6NT opposition contract from making.

Firstly, GeO had to find the right opening lead. Did you?

 

1NT was 15-17 and 2 a transfer to hearts.

Holding a 9-count, GeO realised that he could not count on his partner having any honour cards. Generally, it does not pay to be very aggressive in one’s lead to a 6NT contract, and especially so, when you hold just about all of the defence’s assets. So, GeO chose 4, not guaranteed to be safe but safer looking than any other.

This is what he saw after the opening lead:

 

14 hcp opposite a 15-17 1NT opening looks a trifle optimistic. However, all the more reason not to let the defence slip up, never an easy task when you do not know the shape of declarer’s hand.

South won with Q and played a spade to the king and a second spade to the queen and GeO’s ace. GeO exited his second heart which caused declarer to cash three more rounds of the suit. On the three hearts, declarer discarded 2, 4 and 5 while GeO discarded two diamonds and a club.

Next came a club to the ace and A. After the A was played, these cards remained:

 

Next came the high 9 from South giving GeO an ugly choice. The clues were in his partner’s one discard on the fifth heart and the club card he, Nick Jacob, played when the club was played to the ace.

Especially when you have no honours, the count can be vital. Nick discarded 4 and played 9. Playing reverse signals, that looked as though Nick held an even number of diamonds (presumably 2) and an odd number of clubs (3).

In addition, declarer had only shown up with QJ Q and A. For a minimum 15, they had to have both AK (had South held A and J, that would only be 14 hcp) and if East had two diamonds, then declarer had started with four. So, South still held three diamonds and GeO had to discard K.

He did and his Q took trick 13. These were the four hands:

 

Had GeO thrown a diamond on the fourth spade, South would have made the “beer card” (7) at trick 13!

Defence requiring strong concentration was needed to defeat this contract. Interestingly, the initial lead of either minor (assuming South plays Q after a club lead) should give South 12 tricks as long as they do not take a second-round finesse of the T. Meanwhile, South can also prevail after the lead of A and a second spade with West eventually being squeezed out of their club and diamond tricks.

Thus, the safe, defensive, heart lead was the only one which should guarantee defeat of the contract, as long as West is watchful.

 

“Watchful: a declarer, too!”

 

You do rather well to bid this 6 slam. It will be even better if you win 12 tricks! West leads J. You win with A discarding a club. At trick 2, you play a small heart to your jack, with West playing T. Next comes a spade to the king and East’s A with East exiting a low club to West’s king and dummy’s ace. What now? (Both opponents will follow to the second round of spades.)

Richard Solomon

 

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