Thursday evening June 26, 2008

Lead: nine of hearts

This contract is cold unless South becomes lazy on the second trick. The nine of hearts should shout SINGLETON, especially with the beautiful dummy in front of declarer. East overtakes the king with the ace and returns a small heart. Lazy Souths will play a low spade even though the other part of her brain can count to 13. South should play the ten of spades, hoping that East has the queen. Declarer then makes short shrift of the hand by drawing trumps, cashing the top diamonds while throwing a low club from the board. Again, if South is lazy the tendency might be to assume that clubs will break and pitch the low heart. Bad, bad, bad.

Thursday evening June 26, 2008

Lead: jack of clubs

This turned out to be a tough hand to play; but well bid. North couldn't put the brakes on hard enough after opening light in second seat, using the Rule of 20. The Rule of 15 is only used in fourth seat. South can but mutter "thank you partner" when she sees 11 HCP instead of the expected 13, especially playing in NT. Oh, well. Things have to fall right. First she tackles the spades, losing the king, then takes the club return in hand. Diamonds and hearts have to fall exactly correctly. Declarer first finesses the big diamond and back to hand with the king of hearts. The second diamond lead produces the king (thank goodness) and declarer has 4 spade tricks, two hearts, three clubs and three diamonds for 12 and a top board.

Thursday evening June 26, 2008

Lead: ace of hearts.

The ace was trumped in hand and another heart trumped on the board. On the ace of spades declarer tosses the seven of diamonds. South is feeling ill at this point. A third heart is trumped on the board, now establishing all of East's little cards. A spade is trumped in hand, followed by two top clubs. Declarer leads hearts until North trumps in with the queen and South claims, making six. But in this case defender was lucky to lead the ace of diamonds, so she managed to scrape together two tricks to hold declarer to +5. What would YOU do with 19HCP?

Friday evening June 27, 2008

Lead: two of clubs

The club lead was generous, declarer winning with the jack. A low spade was led from the board and ducked by East. A second spade lead was won by East, the spades now set up. The club return was won in hand and a heart to the board. South ends up with more tricks than she can use. Good, persistent bidding. The 2NT jump by declarer shows a hand too big for a 1NT opener but not quite a 2NT opener.

Friday evening June 27, 2008

Lead: ace of clubs

This hand should be called Stolen Bid! First, north steals East's opening 1C bid, then West steals North's 1S overcall and figures that he should wait and see how it plays out, not able to rebid clubs to show a six-card suit. When 2S comes back around, there's been enough bidding and partner has been silent, that 3C might get beaten pretty badly sitting, which it would. In fact East should double 3C and West should realize its not for takeout or re-entry but for penalties. The defense will get two clubs, a spade (perhaps 2 if West comes back with a spade), two hearts and a diamond; a solid down three, properly spanked for -500.

2S on the other hand is definitely not much fun to play for West, especially with the "big" hand down. East should bid 1NT after West's spade instead of raising with only 3. A wise, experienced player once told me that the worst bidding sin novice/intermediate players do is to raise partner's overcall holding only three in the suit. After winning the ace of clubs, North shifts to his singleton diamond, salivating at the prospects of three trump tricks and two club tricks. The board played low and the king was given a proper burial. Declarer, then makes a reasonable play of returning a diamond to the board in order to clear the suit for a possible ruff. Declarer is most unhappy at being ruffed on the second diamond. North returns a heart which declarer KNOWS will lose; which it does; South returns another diamond which North ruffs with the six. A benign heart is led, putting declarer back in the lead. A spade is led, the king captured by the ace. North still gets a trump and another club, down 1 for 50 and a nice score.

Friday evening June 27, 2008

Lead: six of spades

The lead of a six or seven indicates "Partner, I have NOTHING to lead!" It also turns out to be the killing lead because 6NT goes down 1. A low heart lead captures East's queen on the first trick. A smart declarer then leads a low heart toward the board, allowing West to win the jack. It's too late to lead spades; declarer gets 5 diamonds, three hearts, three clubs and a spade. If West leads a low club, declarer gets his 12th trick at trick one with the board's ten. In fact, at my table both opponents were squeezed at the end after running the clubs and diamonds; West held on to his jack of clubs while East held on to his KQ of spades, making declarer's hearts good, running the table for a +520 and a tie for top.

Friday evening June 27, 2008

Lead: ace of hearts

After the heart lead East followed with a spade to declarer's ace. A heart was ruffed, then two rounds of trumps (4) Declarer loses two clubs and another spade, and can cross-ruff the hand out; the defenders get four tricks in total for 300 and a bottom! Notice that EW have cold slams in hearts and spades. The key bid? The 2D opener. In fact, South should immediately raise to 5D with her hand knowing the team has 11 diamonds. Remember Marty Bergen's Law of Total Tricks--in a competitive auction you can bid as high as the total number of trumps you have.

Friday evening June 27, 2008

Lead: ace of hearts

North forgets the bidding and continues hearts, afraid to lead away from his K-9 of clubs. With four in his hand and two on the board, it's likely South has six in the suit and will ruff, which he does. Well, if North has the king of spades, I might actually make this West things to himself. Sure enough, two finesses draw out the king, and West is able to toss all his losers on the good diamonds! On the other side, 6H is cold and 7H has a good play, assuming West would lead the queen of spades instead of a diamond, which is a very reasonable line of play.

What a great hand!

Friday morning July 4, 2008

Lead: two of diamonds

Right out of the chute declarer faces a what-if. Six is safe if the finesse loses, assuming North isn't leading a singleton. Declarer lets the diamond float around to the queen, draws trumps in two rounds and cashes the ace of clubs and the ace of spades, discarding a diamond. Back to the hand with a spade ruff and the king of diamonds finessed again; declarer cross-ruffs the hand out.

Friday morning July 4, 2008

Lead: two of hearts

Although the play is routine with any lead, declarer losing only the king of clubs, the hands are SO interesting. Six hearts doubled goes down two for a good sacrifice at -500. Assume South leads the ace of clubs or a low diamond; either way the king of clubs will end up being a good trick, declarer sluffing a spade.

Thursday evening July 3, 2008

Lead: four of clubs

Declarer has to knock heads on this hand, choosing to go for the 3-3 drop instead of trying to figure spades. He first goes for the unprotected suit, hearts, leaving entries to his hand in diamonds. East takes the ace of hearts for his fifth trick and leads a diamond, taken in hand. Declarer clears hearts and exhales. Having already tossed two spades on the first four losing club tricks, declarer now cashes goes to the board to the jack of hearts and returns a diamond to the king; a small prayer accompanies the third diamond which clears the suit and establishes the four as the sixth trick. Notice that if the defenders FINALLY lead a spade, declarer takes the ace and has a heart to get back to her hand. It's vital for declarer NOT to clear the hearts until the seventh trick has been established.

Friday morning July 4, 2008

Lead: ace of clubs

After ruffing the opening lead and drawing three rounds of trumps, declarer notices that South drops the 7 on the first round of diamonds; either South has the queen doubleton or the 7 is a singleton, or South is being crafty. The proper play with so many outstanding is to finesse given the holdings. Declarer returns to his hand with a spade and sends the ten of diamonds around, winning all thirteen tricks.

Friday afternoon July 4, 2008

Lead: four of clubs

East realizes that 6H is the better contract although 6D is the safest. Declarer can't get rid of his extra spade and loses it in the end after stripping hearts and ruffing the clubs. None of the seven teams playing this hand bid a slam!

Friday afternoon July 4, 2008

Lead: king of hearts

The heart was ruffed by declarer, then three rounds of diamonds with East sluffing meaningless hearts. What started out as a sacrifice turned into a "Hey, I can make this!" after the first club finesse worked. Back to the board to the last high diamond and another club led; when the finesse worked North can claim his top board, losing only a spade in the end.

Friday afternoon July 4, 2008

Lead: seven of hearts

North needs to clutch his queen to his breast and resist covering West's return of the jack after winning the first trick with the ace. A third heart drives out the king and gives declarer control in the suit; declarer gets two diamonds, two clubs, two spades and a heart for seven tricks. None of the suits set up!