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Hand played on |
14th February 2008 |
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Board number 13 |
Combined Section |
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Dealer |
North |
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Vulnerability |
Both |
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Submitted by |
Alaric Cundy |
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North ♠K7532 ♥65 ♦94 ♣T984 |
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West ♠9 ♥AQT7 ♦AQ652 ♣J75 |
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East ♠AQJ84 ♥KJ984 ♦T3 ♣3 |
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North |
Bidding:
East |
South |
West |
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South ♠T6 ♥32 ♦KJ87 ♣AKQ62 |
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No 3♣ End |
1♠ 3♥ |
2♣ No |
x 4♥
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Unsurprisingly, every East / West pair reached a game contract in hearts - in fact one pair pushed on to 5♥. However, the number of tricks made was variously 9, 10, 11, or 12. Looking at all four hands, the contract reached comes as no surprise, but nor does the variable outcome!
At our table, South started with the obvious top club, and received a signal from partner to indicate an even number of cards in the suit - presumably four - so it was clear that a switch was needed at trick 2. The best play is to switch to a trump, but in practice South chose the deceptive Jack of diamonds. Declarer read this card as a potential singleton, and hence rose with the Ace. Now Declarer gave up a diamond to South who again failed to find the trump switch, and so Declarer was able to play the hand on a high cross-ruff, making the rest of the tricks for eleven in total. Had Declarer not been deceived into shirking the diamond finesse, twelve tricks could be accumulated by a similar line of play. Had South redeemed himself by leading a trump at the second opportunity, when in with the King of diamonds, then Declarer can only make ten tricks unless the spade finesse is tried.
The trump switch at trick 2 puts Declarer under more pressure in the battle for overtricks, though if both the diamond and spade finesses are taken then, courtesy of a cross-ruff, the tally can be pushed on to 12 tricks.
If South starts with two top clubs, then Declarer faces numerous options. A possible line is to draw trumps in two rounds, finishing in hand, and then taking the diamond finesse, followed by the Ace and a diamond ruff. Now if the diamonds divide evenly with the King on-side, again 12 tricks materialise, but the 4-2 break in diamonds causes that plan to disintegrate. The lead finishes up in the wrong hand so that the spade finesse cannot now be tried. Declarer does best now to cut losses and play Ace, then Queen of spades: with the good fortune of the ten falling doubleton, eleven tricks can still be made, but if Declarer ruffs a spade in Dummy too soon then he / she could create more problems and may be held to ten tricks.
This was one of those hands - easy to bid, but tricky to play!