Board 82

Board 82
Our side vulnerable

♠ J 3 ♥ A J 6 3 ♦ J 6 ♣ A 6 5 4 2

RHO passes. This is an awkward hand playing weak notrumps. If I open one club, I have no rebid over a one spade response. And opening one notrump doesn't appeal. I'm understrength, offshape, and have two worthless doubletons.

Accordingly I pass. LHO opens one spade--pass--pass back to me. I don't want to double without diamonds, nor do I want to bid a weak five-card club suit, making it difficult to find hearts. One notrump wins by default. I'm not worried about the lack of a spade stopper. I might not need a stopper to make one notrump, and if partner passed over one spade with a hand good enough to raise to three, he probably has good spades himself.

I bid one notrump, LHO bids two spades, and partner bids three notrump. LHO leads the ten of spades.

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

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

If clubs come home, I have nine tricks. If they don't, perhaps I can generate an extra trick from one of the red suits. I play the deuce of spades--queen--three. East shifts to the four of hearts--three--king--nine. Jack typically doesn't falsecard. That, combined with the fact that East led a low heart, combined with restricted choice, makes me fairly confident that the heart queen is onside. If so, West probably has the club queen and perhaps the jack as well. I certainly hope he doesn't have queen-jack third. West shifts to the king of spades. There's no point in ducking. Whether I have four club tricks or five, the count is already corrected for a potential squeeze. I take the ace, and East pitches the four of diamonds.

Since I can't afford to lose a club trick to West, I must take an avoidance play in clubs. I lead the ten of clubs to the ace, intending to lead back to the nine if East plays an honor on the first trick. It's unlikely East has two black singletons, but there's no reason not to guard against it. On the ten of clubs, East plays the seven. I play the ace, and West follows with the queen. I play a low club from my hand and West discards the four of spades. I insert the nine, and East wins with the jack. I hope I'm right about the queen of hearts. Otherwise it was a serious error to play clubs this way.

East shifts to the five of hearts. I ride this around to dummy's ten, West following with the deuce. Whew! West guards spades and East guards hearts, so no one can guard diamonds. I try to claim the rest on a double squeeze, but Jack insists I play it out. I comply. Making four.

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

According to Ira Rubin, responder should never pass an opening one bid with a singleton in his partner's suit. I once asked him if that rule applied even if playing five-card majors. "It applies even if playing six-card majors," he snarled. The intent of the rule is to aid your own constructive auctions, not to make life difficult for your opponents.  But this time a one notrump response by East would have had a serendipitous obstructive effect. I would have passed, LHO would have bid two spades, and that would be that. Partner has no bid, and I wouldn't balance on a misfit auction. My decision to pass in second seat might have worked out rather poorly.

At the other table, my hand opens one club. West bids three spades, and North bids three notrump. East leads the queen of spades, which declarer ducks. East then shifts to the seven of clubs. Declarer takes the king in his hand, rides the ten, then runs the rest of the clubs. West pitches four spades, leaving himself with only a doubleton. Declarer cashes the diamond ace and the spade ace and floats the nine of hearts to West's queen. West cashes his last spade and exits with the queen of diamonds. North wins with the king and, even though it isn't safe, he finesses the heart to make an overtrick.

It certainly is hard to generate a swing on this board. I pass; my opponent opens.  One West opens with a one-bid; the other West preempts.  We reach game from different sides of the table.  We take opposite views in the club suit.  Yet, somehow, all roads lead to three notrump making four.

Me: +630
Jack: +630

Score on Board 82: 0 IMPs
Total: -115 IMPs