Zenith Daylong - Oct 14, 2021 - Board 9

Board 9
Opponents vulnerable

♠ K J 4  ♥ J 6 2  ♦ Q 7 3  ♣ 10 7 5 4

Partner opens with one spade. I raise to two spades. Partner goes on to four, and West leads the heart ten.

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

West	North	East	South
Robot	Phillip	Robot	Robot
			1 ♠
Pass	2 ♠	Pass	4 ♠
(All pass)

That's quite an aggressive four-spade bid! A short-suit try in clubs looks more to the point. But with all my high cards outside clubs, I would have accepted despite my minimum. So no harm done.

Assuming the lead is from shortness, I can take four heart tricks if I guess the suit. I start by covering with the jack and taking the king with my ace. If the lead is from stiff 10, 104, or 103, I can take a double finesse against the 87. If the lead is from 108 or 107, I need to cash the queen then get to dummy to finesse against the remaining spot. 

The double finesse works against more layouts, but it's hard to execute without running into a a heart ruff. So my initial plan will be to draw trump, cash the heart queen, hoping to drop the eight or seven, then reach dummy with the diamond queen for a finesse.

I cover with the jack--king--ace. Now six of spades (retaining the deuce on principle)--three--jack--nine. I play the spade king from dummy, and East pitches the diamond deuce. The spade deuce doesn't seem important anymore--if it ever was--so I play it. 

West takes the ace and shifts to the four of hearts. I don't think that was his best play. I wasn't picking up the heart suit without his help. I cover with the six, East covers with the eight, and I win with the queen. I draw trump and finesse the five of hearts to make five.

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

450 is worth 77%. Obviously West can hold me to four by not playing the second round of hearts, but the defense went the same way at every table. Luckily for me, not all declarers took advantage. The five was apparently too lowly a card to merit their attention. But the overtrick wasn't the only reason this was a good result. Quite a few players responded one notrump, corrected two hearts to two spades, and played it there.

This is a ten-loser hand with no aces, so I can see how some might judge it isn't worth a single raise. But the jack of spades is a big card. And I don't share the common view that 4333 is necessarily a bad pattern. It can be, but a lot depends on the pattern it faces. Opposite a five-five, for example, a 4333 is actually a plus--not a minus. Doubletons are useful when they are opposite partner's three-card suits. But holding three cards in partner's side five-card suit can be better than holding a doubleton, since it makes it easier for him to establish his long cards. And we don't need to go to such extremes. Even opposite a 4432, a 4333 can be better than a 4432 with matching doubletons.

Perhaps 4333 is a net minus if we know nothing about partner's shape. But, even so, it's not as much of a minus as most people think or as loser count suggests. Evaluating 4333 as a full loser more than 4432 is too pessimistic. So, in my judgment, this hand is a sound minimum raise. And the fact that four spades is a fine contract even though partner overbid with his four-spade call is a testament to that.