All News

Think before you pick.

It’s 3NT. It’s trick 1. It’s vital. I am sure you have been there many times. Just take a couple of deep breaths before you play.

That might be our ultimate message today but our initial problem is the opening lead.

 

1 was 3+ clubs and 2NT showed a 12-14 no-trump shape. What is your choice?

There are times when you lead your own suit with conviction and other times when you lead it with hope..and there are other times when you just should not bother to lead it at all.

You never really had much of an overcall in the first place, poor suit, poor hand. Partner could have bid 2 over 2 with any moderate support and a few hcp. Silence. Look elsewhere.

Where? Well, not diamonds. North bid them quite confidently. So, it’s down to a choice of 2 suits. The odds are getting better. No-one bid the other major. South might still have 4 hearts in their weak no-trump but there is no guarantee they do. So, why not have a go with 10?  

Let’s see the 4 hands:

 

Put yourself in South’s position. You would seem to have 3 spade tricks and 4 in diamonds (assuming no really fortunate fall of K. You have A and one certain heart trick. That’s a good number but you need to limit the number of tricks the defence can take as you still have to lose to the K.

We are still at trick 1 and as you can see above, a lazy small heart from dummy and you will soon be writing down a minus score.

It is easier to play K when you see that 9 in dummy. That really confirms where the A and probably heart length are…with East. Yet even without 9 or 8, it is often correct to put up dummy’s honour at trick 1, to force East to take the ace or concede 2 heart tricks. Only if West has led from AT9 to a number of hearts or say 4 or 5 small hearts is playing the K wrong. West bid spades, not hearts here….and dummy has 9.

So, put up the king and the heart suit ceases to become a threat. The best East can do is win and switch to a club. South will have to duck the first two rounds, win the ace and hope that the player who wins K, does not have the last club. South’s prayers would be answered.

South’s other option, had they forgotten to play K, is to duck the first round of hearts completely. West continues the suit and East needs to win their ace and find a club switch to beat 3NT.

So, did you as West beat 3NT? The only legitimate way is by finding an initial club lead. Now, the defence must take 3 club tricks, K and A. That’s a tough lead to find even if 1 could be short, which, of course, it was not.

For the record, West was on lead at 8 tables to 2NT or 3NT. A spade was led 6 times and once each the lead was a diamond or 10. The 6 declarers in 3NT all made their contract.

So, try to recognise the times when leading your own suit is wrong. 1 would not be everyone’s choice of call with those West cards but it should at least have convinced West not to lead their own suit.

old chestnut!

Then, as declarer, do not play too quickly to trick 1. Familiar advice, no doubt, but still very true.

Diving?

 

Should you? Are you? Are they?

Well? 1 is 4+ clubs and you are playing Teams.

Richard Solomon

Go Back View All News Items