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Can it benefit your side to cover?

  Cover an Honour with an Honour …and play one!

The first part of the above phrase should conclude “when it might benefit your side from doing so.” Had that
advice been followed, then 12 tricks would not have been made by the declarer whether or not the contract
was game or slam in hearts, along of course with some thoughtful play from one’s partner.  As the game was Match-Point Pairs, conceding 450 to a row of 480’s would have been great
for the defence.

 

 

You lead Q won by declarer’s ace and at trick 2, declarer plays T. Do you cover?

It did not always go that way but it was a good tactic for South to play spades early to encourage West to take the A had they held it as the trick 2 lead in this situation is often a singleton. However, here, should West cover? It was probably a good idea to do so. Let’s look.

 

 

3 was probably a wiser bid by North on the second round as South might still have held 3 - card spade support. However, had they done so and South then jumped to 4, West might have found an initial club lead, the lead which for certain restricts South to 11 tricks.

Let’s say West does cover with the Q at trick 2. East wins and plays….? East knows that the trump break is awkward for South, awkward but probably manageable. It might seem automatic for East to return a diamond but they should do a piece of point-counting. South has shown up with A and for their bidding should have AK, maybe J. They are hardly likely to have K as well for a mere 2 rebid. A club switch from East ensures declarer cannot make 12 tricks.
Play Q and West encourages. Now, with East guarding spades, there is no chance of the spade suit setting up for a club discard.

At other tables, East had a difficult discard after a heart was played to dummy at trick 2. The declarers then played K and another diamond. It was not safe for East to throw a spade and where they did, the result was 12 tricks for the declarer. However, surely had South held K, the declarer would have played a club to the king rather than risk a possible diamond over-ruff?

Tough Choices

In defence.

So, West would be wise to cover the T no matter at which point in the play this card was played. Then, where East had to find an exit after winning A, they should choose an honour of their own even if they still had a diamond…or faced with a discard should retain all four cards in North’s potentially dangerous suit…and that would mean discarding a club. Even ruffing would have proven better than discarding a spade.

All about an overtrick, for most…. but someone somewhere, I think, commented that that was what Pairs was all about!  

A Strange Twist.

What would you open with the following hand, playing Match-Point Pairs?

 

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

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