Free Weekly Instant Tournament - November 14 - Board 2

Board 2
Our side vulnerable

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♠ A Q 9 7  ♥ K 8 5  ♦ A 10 7 5  ♣ 8 3

I open one diamond in second seat. Partner responds one heart. I like a one-spade rebid to show an unbalanced hand, but the robots play that one notrump denies four spades. If I don't want to risk missing a four-four spade fit, I have to bid one spade.

I do so, and partner bids one notrump. Everyone passes, and my RHO leads the deuce of hearts.

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

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

Weird that West didn't lead a club on this auction. Perhaps he has the ace and is hoping his partner can lead through declarer.

The heart lead has given me three heart tricks. My two aces bring me up to five. I need two more. I have one more for sure in spades. I need an extra trick either in spades or in diamonds. 

I can't afford to give up the lead twice, however, since the opponents probably have five club tricks. Let's hope West led from a heart honor. If so, I can take three heart tricks without having to give up the lead. I'll capture East's honor with my ace, then lead a low heart to the eight. 

I play low from dummy; East plays the seven, and I win with the nine. OK. I've got my three heart tricks. West apparently led from queen-jack fourth.

Now I can try for three tricks in spades. I'll start by leading the jack. If it's covered, I've got two spade tricks, and I can establish a third to make my contract. If the jack loses to the king on my right, I can't afford to lose the lead again. So my main chance is that the ten of spades drops (which is slightly better than finessing against it). But if the defense makes the mistake of cashing five club tricks, they will correct the count for a potential squeeze. 

If they cash five clubs, ending in the East hand, I can come down to six cards with only one loser left. That's a recipe for a squeeze:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ A Q 9 ♥ K 8 ♦ A ♣ --
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 8 ♥ A 10 6 ♦ Q 8 ♣ --

West guards hearts. If East has the diamond king, then he guards diamonds. That means neither opponent can guard spades. When I cash my red-suit winners, coming down to this position:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ A Q 9 ♥ -- ♦ -- ♣ --
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 8 ♥ 10 ♦ Q ♣ --

each opponent must be down to a doubleton spade, so the ten is dropping.

The usual way to break up a double squeeze is to attack the entry to the double threat. East can't afford to do that, since he's leading into dummy's spade tenace. But if they cash clubs ending in the West hand, West can break up the squeeze with spade lead. But that's OK. If West has five clubs and four hearts, East has the spade length, so I don't need a double squeeze. A single squeeze will. I can pitch my heart threat, coming down to this position instead:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ A Q 9 ♥ K 8 ♦ A 10 7 5 ♣ 8 3
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 8 3 ♥ A 10 ♦ Q 8 ♣ --

Now a spade shift doesn't kill my entry. If East has the diamond king, he is squeezed. If he doesn't, I need the spade ten to drop.

I lead the jack of spades and West covers. No squeezes necessary. I take the ace. East plays the six. I can now finesse against the spade ten. If it loses, I have seven tricks. If it wins, I have eight.

I lead the eight of hearts to my ace. Now I float the eight of spades. East wins, and I prepare for a barrage of clubs.

East cashes the king; West plays the four. Then the ace; West plays the ten. East now surprises me by abandoning clubs. He shifts to the four of spades, on which West pitches the four of diamonds.

West must have the queen of clubs for East to have given up on the suit. Probably queen ten third. The robots need to learn to signal. West should have encouraged with the club ten on the first club trick. Then East could underlead and they would get their five club tricks. After this defense, I may be able to set up a diamond for an overtrick.

I cash the last spade. West pitches the deuce of diamonds, apparently completing his echo to show four. If I've read the position correctly, this is the layout:

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

I don't care who has the diamond king. The clubs are blocked and I still have a heart stopper, so I play ace and a diamond, setting up a diamond for my eighth trick.

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

Plus 120 is worth 89%.

Quite a few declarers misplayed this one. After the spade finesse won, they found themselves in this position:

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

They then played a low diamond from dummy. Those who guessed out the diamond suit survived. Those who didn't, went down. 

But why take that risk? A diamond play makes no sense. Yes, you might set up two diamond tricks for an overtrick. But taking the spade finesse might yield an overtrick also. And it has the advantage that you still make your contract if it doesn't work.