Match 2 - Board 42

Board 42
Both sides vulnerable

♠ K Q 10 5 2 ♥ A 3 ♦ A 9 8 ♣ J 7 4

Most weak notrumpers would open one spade with this hand. But I prefer opening one notrump with all balanced minimums, even those with a five-card major. When I learned this style, I was told that you gave up something when you opened one notrump. But you got it back when you opened one of a major and partner knew you were either unbalanced or had extra high cards. My experience, however, has been quite the opposite. The negative inference when partner opens one of a major seldom seems to make any difference. But the one notrump openings themselves tend to work out surprisingly well. More often than you would expect, partner raises to three and they lead your suit. So here goes. One notrump.

Partner bids two clubs, I bid two spades, and partner bids three notrump. West leads the seven of diamonds.

	NORTH ♠ J 7 4 ♥ K Q 10 7 ♦ K J 3 2 ♣ A 6
	SOUTH ♠ K Q 10 5 2 ♥ A 3 ♦ A 9 8 ♣ J 7 4

West	North	East	South
		Pass	1 NT
Pass	2 ♣	Pass	2 ♠
Pass	3 NT	(All pass)

See what I mean? The opening bid worked out just fine. If they had led a club, I wouldn't be very happy. But they didn't. It looks as if four spades rates to make five. So if I can make five notrump, I ought to have quite a good result.

It appears West has led highest from a weak suit, so East should have the queen and ten of diamonds. I'll capture his ten with my ace, then drive the spade ace. If the defense still doesn't attack clubs, I can lead a diamond to the king, trying to drop queen-ten doubleton to make six. If the queen doesn't drop, I can drive it to make five.

What if the defense switches to a club after winning the spade ace? Since I expect plus 660 to be an excellent result, I'm less concerned about making six than I am about maximizing my chance to make five. So, if the club shift comes from West, I intend to duck. I'm then cold for five provided I guess who has the remaining club honor. If East has it, he's squeezed in the minors. If West has it, I can cash the diamond king and the club ace, then execute a double squeeze with hearts as the double threat.

What if the club shift comes from East? Now I can't isolate the club threat. My best play in that event is to win the club shift and cash the diamond king (retaining my chance of making six). If the queen doesn't drop, I run spades, coming down to this position:

	NORTH ♠ -- ♥ K Q 10 7 ♦ J ♣ --
	SOUTH ♠ -- ♥ A 3 ♦ 9 ♣ J 7

I now need to decide which defender has kept four hearts. If it's East, I cash the heart ace and toss him in with a diamond. If it's West, I cross my fingers and take a heart finesse. (Unless West started with the king-queen of clubs. If so, he has had to pitch one of his honors. If I work out that's what's happened, I can just set up my club jack and avoid the heart finesse.)

I suppose I didn't really need to carry the analysis quite so far. But I did want to have some idea of what the end position might look like before I played to trick one. It would be frustrating to realize all of a sudden that I needed a diamond entry to my hand and should have won the first trick with the king of diamonds.

I play low; East plays the queen. So all my plans have gone up in smoke. Did West lead second highest from ten fourth? Or did East falsecard? For a human expert, falsecarding with queen-ten doubleton would not be all that difficult, provided he thinks the seven is high (rather than low from nine-eight-seven). He can see I'm going to drop his queen. So why not play the queen now and give me a losing option? As usual, just play the card you're know to hold.

I know good and well Jack is incapable of this falsecard, however, which is too bad. This would be a more interesting problem if I had confidence in him. I play the five of spades--six--jack--ace. East returns the three of spades. I win with the king, and West plays the eight. I know I can just float the nine of diamonds. But I might as well pretend I'm worried about the falsecard just for practice. I cash another spade. East pitches the deuce of clubs. I'm guessing he's 2-4-2-5, which leaves West with 3-3-4-3.

On the next spade, West pitches the four of diamonds. What's this? Why would he ever pitch a diamond from four? If he did, dummy's diamonds are now good even without a finesse. The only time I need to finesse is if he began with ten-seven fifth. Is that possible?

I pitch a club from dummy. I expect to see another club pitch from East, since he knows I don't have four clubs. But he pitches the deuce of hearts. This suggests five hearts, which would make East 2-5-1-5 and West 3-2-5-3. It appears West did lead the seven of diamonds from ten-seven fifth. On the last spade, both opponents pitch clubs as I pitch a heart from dummy. I have enough information to float the nine of diamonds now even if I thought East was capable of the falsecard. I lead the nine of diamonds. West makes it easy for me by covering. Making six.

	NORTH ♠ J 7 4 ♥ K Q 10 7 ♦ K J 3 2 ♣ A 6
WEST ♠ 9 8 6 ♥ 8 5 ♦ 10 7 6 5 4 ♣ K 10 5		EAST ♠ A 3 ♥ J 9 6 4 2 ♦ Q ♣ Q 9 8 3 2
	SOUTH ♠ K Q 10 5 2 ♥ A 3 ♦ A 9 8 ♣ J 7 4

I suppose the seven of diamonds was a sensible lead. I would rarely lead high from a five-card suit. But with such a bad hand as well as a useful holding in the suit partner is most apt to want to shift to, I might make an exception. Add another high card to the hand, and I wouldn't be so pessimistic about establishing my own suit.

Everyone else, of course, was in four spades. One pair made five; everyone else made six. Plus 690 is a top. It's about time we got another one of those.

Score on Board 42: +690 (12 MP)
Total: 334 MP (66.3%)

Current rank: 1st