Free Weekly Instant Tournament - March 15 - Board 8

Board 8
Neither side vulnerable

♠ A Q 9 4 2  ♥ 9 6 5  ♦ J 9 6  ♣ A 8

Three passes to me. This isn't a opening bid in first or second seat, but in third or fourth seat it looks right to open and pass partner's response. I bid one spade, partner bids one notrump, and I pass. RHO leads the deuce of clubs.

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

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

I have four tricks. It appears I have some work to do. I'll start by ducking the club. Maybe West has led from king-queen.

He hasn't. East wins with the queen, and I drop the three. East returns the six of clubs--seven--four--ace. I don't know who has the king.

If I had no spots, the right way to play the spade suit would be to start by leading low from dummy. That gives away none of my legitimate chances and gives East the opportunity to hop with king doubleton. The presence of the ten and nine makes this approach less appealing. If jack third is onside, for example, starting low from dummy means I lose two tricks instead of one. And if king-jack third is onside, I lose a trick when I could run the whole suit. Still, the play does have some things going for it. East may hop with king doubleton or he may fail to hop with jack doubleton. And, perhaps more importantly, it leaves my hand a mystery to the defense. I don't want the opponents shifting to hearts. If I play a diamond to my hand at trick two, it advertises my diamond strength and my heart weakness.

I lead the spade deuce from dummy. East plays the three, and my ten forces West's king. If the jack is dropping, I have my seven tricks unless the defense can take five tricks first.

West shifts to the heart king. That doesn't look good. If West has king, ace-king in the majors, East must have the club king. So West can put him on play for a heart shift. I need to hope West has only three hearts or perhaps that East has jack-ten third and the suit will block.

East plays the heart deuce. I "encourage" with the eight.

West shifts to the five of clubs. Is there any reason for East not to return a heart when he wins the club king? Maybe. He doesn't know whether his partner has ace-king of hearts or king-queen. If I have ace fourth of hearts, then continuing the suit will allow me to set up my long heart. So that is the holding I must represent. What would I pitch from dummy if I had ace fourth of hearts? Clearly I would pitch a diamond. I would need both of dummy's hearts so I could duck one, then lead a heart to my hand. Accordingly, I pitch dummy's six of diamonds.

East wins with the club king and continues with the ten of clubs. Did my illusion work? Did my diamond discard convince East I had ace fourth of hearts?

I win with the club jack as West pitches the diamond deuce. I pitch a heart from dummy. Both opponents follow to the ace and queen of spades, so my spades are good. We've reached this position:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 9 4 ♥ 9 ♦ J 9 ♣ --
	SOUTH Robot ♠ -- ♥ Q 4 ♦ A K 4 ♣ --

I have all but one of the remaining tricks. Could I have a squeeze for the last one? Dummy's heart nine and my long diamond are the threats, so West would need to have ace-jack-ten of hearts left and to have started with four diamonds. That gives him a 3-4-4-3 pattern, 14 cards. One of the necessary conditions for a squeeze is that your opponent must hold only 13 cards. A fourteenth card takes all the pressure off.

Still, maybe the opponents will make a mistake. I run spades, pitching hearts and keeping ace-king-four of diamonds in my hand. I lead the nine of diamonds from dummy. East covers with the ten, and I win with the king. When I cash the ace, East shows he was paying attention by throwing the queen and keeping the five to win the last trick. Show off!

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

Plus 120 is worth 93%. I'm not sure what East was playing for with the club return at the end. But the key to the deal was not revealing my diamond strength. Those who crossed to their hand with a diamond at trick two went down. It's hard for the defense to go wrong when you show them your hand.

Be sure to play in this week's Free Weekly Instant Tournament, so we can start comparing next week. You have until Thursday to play in it. I got a zero on one board. Although I would probably do the same thing again.