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Fri Play... for those new to the game. 

Be Careful: It’s a hold up!

The bidding seemed very straightforward. What about the play? South suddenly realised that they were the declarer! Pressure. Let’s hope not too much.

 

 

12 high-card points, a balanced hand…that’s at least 2 cards in each suit…South remembered that this is the special 1NT opening. North did well too. A piece of quick point counting. North has 13 and South at least 12. 25..game…and no major suit. So, 3NT is the spot.

West led 5. All the pressure is on South to make their contract, to make 9 tricks before the opponents can make 5. How should South play?

South has one trick in spades, two in hearts and no more than two in diamonds. So, to come anywhere near the 9 South requires, they must make lots of tricks from the club suit. There is one high card missing in that suit, the king. South may have to lose a trick to the king..OK…as long as the defence do not win the K and 4 spade tricks. That would mean a minus score. 

Hold-up time.

If East wins a trick with K, we want to hope that East cannot lead spades at that point. The way to do that is for South not to win the first or indeed the second round of spades. Watch.

 

At trick 1, East plays J but South plays 2. East continues with Q and South plays 6. At trick 3, East plays 3 and South takes their ace. (careful not to play a club on this card. Clubs are your source of tricks). 

The finesse

South hopes West holds K in which case, it cannot score a trick. Therefore, South leads Q. When West plays 3, South plays 2 from dummy but East wins K. Bad news.

However, East cannot play spades, the only suit in which the defence might win quick tricks and chooses to play a low heart. Great news.

South can win the lead with K and will now play their remaining 5 club tricks (best play J before you play A) and will make at least 9 tricks (5 clubs, AK, A and A) to make the number needed for their contract.

Had South won their ace at tricks 1 or 2, East would be able to play a spade and the defence would win in total 4 spade tricks and K to beat the contract by one trick. That hold-up made the big difference between success and failure.

for success

South stopped the defenders communicating with each other in the spade suit. Nice play by South.

Richard Solomon

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