Free Weekly Instant Tournament - July 5 - Board 3

Board 3
Opponents vulnerable

♠ Q 9 5 4 3  ♥ J 9  ♦ A 8  ♣ A Q 5 2

I open with one spade in first seat. Partner bids one notrump, forcing, and I rebid two clubs. Partner bids three spades, showing a limit raise with three trumps. With six losers, I have a possible, if pushy, acceptance over a four-card limit raise. But opposite a three-card raise, it's clear to pass. 

The lack of the spade jack is one problem. Loser count is crediting me with one spade loser if partner has, say, king third. The missing spade jack is less of a concern if partner has four trumps.

Another problem is the fourth club. Loser count assumes all your fourth-round cards are winners. That's a fair assumption if dummy has four trumps. Not so fair if it has only three. Opposite three trumps, this hand is closer to seven losers than six.

I pass, and LHO leads the ten of hearts.

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

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

Since I have the heart nine, the ten is obviously a doubleton or singleton. I have two heart losers and two spade losers. I have to avoid a third spade loser to make this, which will be hard to do after three rounds of hearts. So my first job is to try to convince East to abandon the heart suit.

I play a low heart from dummy. East wins with the queen and I drop the jack, the card I'm known to hold. East may now choose not to continue hearts for fear his partner led from ten-nine third and my jack is a singleton.

No such luck. East cashes the heart ace, and West follows with the five. East continues with the seven of hearts, going for the trump promotion.

Is there any trump position where I can avoid three trump losers? Suppose East has ace-jack or king-jack doubleton. Then I can ruff with the nine. Whether West overruffs or not, I can reach dummy and play a spade toward my queen. The opponents can't take more than the ace and king of trumps.

I ruff with the nine, and West pitches the six of clubs. 

Even if I can bring home the trumps, I have a potential fourth-round club loser. I need for clubs to be three-three or for the diamond queen to be onside (so I can take a pitch) or for there to be a minor-suit squeeze. In any event, I don't want to use the diamond king to reach dummy and remove my squeeze or finesse options. So I need to lead a club to the king. 

But hold on. What about West's club pitch? He wouldn't pitch from a four-card suit. Maybe he has five. If so, a club to the king sets up a club ruff for the defense. If East has honor-jack doubleton as I'm hoping, it's a little tricky to take the ruff. East must hop with his trump honor and lead a diamond. West can then ruff with his honor and lead a club.

But so what? If I reach dummy by playing a diamond to the king, I'm down anyway on that layout, since I can no longer get rid of my club loser. If West does have five clubs, I'm better off leading a club to the king and hoping they don't find the killing defense. Now, when I discover the bad club break, I still have options in the diamond suit.

I lead a club to dummy's king. West plays the seven; East, the four.

Now the spade six. East follows with the deuce. I guess I'm down. Wait. Maybe not. Perhaps West has ace-king tight of spades and I can duck them out. Although if he does, he gave me the contract when he failed to overruff my nine of spades.

I play the spade three; West wins with the eight. He then cashes the ace and king of spade. East pitches the heart deuce on the third round of spades.

We've reached this position, with West on play.

	NORTH Robot ♠ -- ♥ -- ♦ K J 10 3 ♣ 9 3
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ Q ♥ -- ♦ A 8 ♣ A Q 5

West shifts to the nine of diamonds, and I play the jack from dummy. If East plays low, I'll have to overtake with the ace, since the suit is blocked. I'll then cash clubs. If West began with three or four clubs, my clubs are good. If he began with two, then East is 2-6-1-4 and the diamond finesse is marked. If West began with five clubs, I need to hope the diamond queen is onside. But I don't need to take the finesse. I can cash the spade queen for a show-up squeeze.

East doesn't give me the problem. He covers the diamond jack with the queen, and I claim down one.

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

Minus 50 is dead average. The field misplayed this deal. Only one other declarer ruffed the third heart with the spade nine. Some ruffed low; others pitched a club. Too bad it makes no difference as the cards lie. It would have been nice to score 96% for making an obvious play.

I said I might accept with this hand after a four-card limit raise. Just to show that's not completely crazy, note how much difference the fourth trump would make. For starters, the fourth trump makes me 70% to pick up spades for two losers. And it means the fourth club is no longer a problem. So all I need to do is to avoid two heart losers. If the ace is onside, I'm home, making my overall odds at least 35%. Plus I have other chances.  West might lead from the heart queen, or he might lead a diamond, picking up the diamond queen and letting me pitch a heart. Maybe it's not a game you want to be in at matchpoints. But it's certainly worthwhile vulnerable at IMPs.