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The Writing on the Wall.

You are playing Pairs and overtricks do matter: the more the better if you are declarer. So, what do you think about the contract below? Maybe there are 10 tricks available in your major suit game…or maybe not. However, 11 are better than 10. Let’s take a look.

 

 

South judged their hand as too strong for a “hearts and a minor” 2 opening and started the ball rolling at the 1-level. This produced a weak jump from West and a time-biding negative double from North. West led Q with East following to the first trick with 6. What now?

A successful heart finesse and then another success in the club suit would lead to a minimum 12 tricks depending on how many clubs each defender held. All 13 would be possible if the suit broke 3-3.

However, if West held K…and they should have at least one more honour to go with the QJ.. would spell trouble, big time trouble if they held the K as well. South would lose not just a trick in each minor and the K but also if West continued spades when in with the K, a spade ruff assuming East held at least 2 hearts. That is down one!

So, what to play at trick 2? Have you got that Q on the table yet? Seems best. Many defenders play the K in the East seat even though they know it cannot possibly gain for them to do so. As a defender, always think before you cover… think before the declarer calls for the queen. If it cannot benefit your side, then do not cover.

Our East played a low heart. What now? South did not finesse because they saw the writing on the wall. Finessing threatened their contract as much as that play might secure overtricks.

East was likely to have more hearts than West (West has 6 spades. East has just 1.) and there were two reasons to play the A at trick 2. West could have singleton K or this, the actual lay-out.

 

 

Had the K scored, East would indeed score a spade ruff. Best defence then would be to cash A (South cannot have more than 2 diamonds..remember the 3 bid) and may have less.

However, after winning A, South played a second heart. West won and had to find a diamond switch to score a second trick for the defence. Perhaps they should have done as the club suit looked ominous from West’s point of view. However, a second spade gave declarer the opportunity to discard all three of dummy’s diamonds on their clubs, making 12 tricks.

Playing A at trick 2 was not guaranteed to be the winning play. Had East held Kxx and West the A, South would suffer a ruff needlessly. The success of the contract would then depend on who held the K. In addition, had East held Kx, then finessing would certainly have been a better line!

However, there were two reasons to play A at trick 2 with one relevant on this deal. Did you spot “the writing on the wall” and perhaps take action to avoid a very annoying ruff? If so, you were well rewarded.

overtricks!

East may have regretted not calling 3 over North’s double of 2. A diamond lead and spade switch would put South under a lot of pressure in their trump play. However, as stated, West really ought to have found the diamond switch when in with the K; so, from East’s point of view, their failure to bid should not have been costly. East was happy with a spade lead though diamond lead, spade switch would have told their partner how to defend when in with the K..unless South had taken precautions!

So, it was not just for overtricks but also to safeguard their contract that the heart finesse was not taken. South was duly rewarded.

                  What’s to be done..or bid?

 

 

 

It’s Pairs and the opponents alone are vulnerable. 2 is a weak jump. What now?

Richard Solomon

 

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