| ♠ 6 4 ♥ J 10 7 3 ♦ Q 6 3 ♣ A Q J 5 |
Two passes to me. I don't like to pass with such a chunky suit. With either a better hand or a worse hand, I would open one club. But this hand is just good enough so that, if I open, I rate to find myself going minus when the opponents can't make anything. I pass, LHO opens one spade--pass--one notrump to me. I double. Perhaps this is a bit frisky, but I would hate to pass and hear the auction continue two spades--pass--pass. It would be too dangerous to balance when I have no assurance that the opponents have an eight-card fit. Better to invite partner into the fray now.
LHO bids two clubs, partner passes, and RHO corrects to two spades, which ends the auction. Partner leads the six of hearts.
| NORTH ♠ J 2 ♥ K 9 8 4 ♦ A 10 4 2 ♣ K 4 2 | ||
| EAST ♠ 6 4 ♥ J 10 7 3 ♦ Q 6 3 ♣ A Q J 5 |
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | Pass | Pass | 1 ♠ |
| Pass | 1 NT | Double | 2 ♣ |
| Pass | 2 ♠ | (All pass) |
Two spades was rather timid. That looks like a two notrump bid to me. Declarer should have four clubs for his two club bid, since he could have passed with a balanced hand after my double. That means partner rates to be 4-2-5-2. It's odd he didn't bid with five diamonds. He must not have much of a hand, or perhaps he has too much wastage in spades.
Dummy plays the heart four, I play the three, and declarer wins with the queen. He plays the three of spades--five--jack--four. Declarer plays the deuce of spades to his queen and partner's king. Can partner have another spade trick? He surely doesn't have the ace, but he might have the ten. In fact, I must hope he does. Otherwise declarer has four spades tricks, three hearts, and the ace of diamonds, which means we're not beating this.
Partner plays the deuce of hearts. Declarer plays the eight from dummy. There's no reason to cover this. Declarer can't afford to win this trick in the dummy. I play the seven; declarer overtakes the eight with his ace and plays the ten of spades, pitching a club from dummy.
So we're not beating this. From now on it's all about preventing overtricks. I need to find two discards. If I pitch a diamond and a club, declarer can draw the last trump, ruff out my last diamond, then toss me in with a heart to score his king of clubs, making three. After my double of one notrump, that line should be easy to find, as Edgar would be quick to point out. If, instead, I pitch two clubs to retain a diamond exit, I do worse. Declarer can play on clubs and make four. I pitch the five of clubs. On the next trump, dummy and I both pitch low diamonds.
Declarer now cashes the king of diamonds--five--four--six. I'm annoyed at myself. I doubt it would have made any difference, but I should have suspected he had a singleton king of diamonds from partner's failure to bid. Declarer cashes the last trump, partner plays the seven of diamonds, and dummy plays the ten. Declarer has already made three and is trying to strip squeeze me to make four. He seems to be playing me to be down to
| ♠ -- ♥ J 10 ♦ Q J ♣ A Q. |
If this is what I have, then the last trump squeezes me. I can pitch a heart, setting up a heart winner; a diamond, allowing him to cash red-suit honors and endplay me with a heart; or a club, allowing him to duck a club to my ace. I must make it appear that I've stiffed my ace of clubs. Accordingly, I pitch the club queen. Declarer plays a heart to dummy, then plays a low club to my jack. Making three.
| NORTH ♠ J 2 ♥ K 9 8 4 ♦ A 10 4 2 ♣ K 4 2 | ||
| WEST ♠ K 9 8 5 ♥ 6 2 ♦ J 9 8 7 5 ♣ 10 8 | EAST ♠ 6 4 ♥ J 10 7 3 ♦ Q 6 3 ♣ A Q J 5 | |
| SOUTH ♠ A Q 10 7 3 ♥ A Q 5 ♦ K ♣ 9 7 6 3 |
Since partner had the ten of clubs, we could have held declarer to two if he had shifted to clubs when he was in with the spade king. I'm not too worried about that, though. The opponents do seem to be cold for three notrump, which is no surprise, since they have 26 high-card points. My reason for doubling wasn't to persuade the opponents they didn't have the high cards they were looking at, but it seems to have had that effect. Perhaps North took a conservative view because he suspected spades were five-one.
At the other table, the auction begins the same way, but my hand passes over one trump. South bids two clubs, North bids two notrump, and South carries on to three.
East leads the jack of hearts. I would have led low. Low appears to give away a trick, but that's an illusion. With the diamonds blocked, declarer must play a heart honor from dummy to retain an entry to his hand. Declarer wins the heart lead with dummy's queen and drives the spade ace. West doesn't find a club shift and East pitches a diamond on the third spade, so declarer eventually tosses East in with a heart to lead away from his king of clubs. Making four.
Me: -140
Jack: -430
Score on Board 49: +7 IMPs
Total: +122 IMPs
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