Board 97

Board 97
Neither vulnerable

♠ 10 7 5 3 2 ♥ 4 ♦ 10 8 7 ♣ Q J 9 2

Two passes to me. I like one club better than one spade for three reasons: (1) I prefer a club lead to a spade lead. (2) Partner is more likely to try to outbid the opponents if I bid spades. (3) LHO is more likely to have a take-out double of my long suit, so one club may give him more of a problem. Of course, I could pass. But what's the fun of that? One club.

LHO doubles (so much for point (3)), partner bids one heart, and RHO bids two notrump. I pass. LHO bids three clubs (described as an "unassuming cue-bid"), RHO bids three notrump, and LHO bids four hearts. I'm not sure what this sequence means. If LHO has a self-sufficient heart suit, he could have jumped to four hearts over two notrump. This two-step must offer his partner a choice of contracts, but I'm not sure what choice or how RHO is supposed to choose. Partner doubles, as I was sure he would. I hope he has lots of trump tricks. Everyone passes, and partner leads the eight of clubs.

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

West	North	East	South
Pass	Pass	1 ♣	Double
1 ♥	2 NT	Pass	3 ♣
Pass	3 NT	Pass	4 ♥
Double	(All pass)

I have no idea what declarer has. Declarer plays low from dummy, I play the jack, and declarer wins with the king. He plays the heart deuce, partner plays the ten, and declarer wins with the queen in dummy. Maybe partner has ace-jack-ten-eight. I can hope. Two natural heart tricks and the threat of a third goes a long way toward beating this.

This hope vanishes when declarer plays the three of hearts from dummy. With king empty fifth, he would return to his hand to lead toward the nine. I encourage with the seven of spades, since I don't want partner shifting to diamonds. Declarer wins with the ace, and partner plays the five. So what are partner's hearts?  King-jack-ten-five? Declarer cashes the ace of spades--eight--four--five and plays the four of clubs toward dummy. Partner ruffs with the six of hearts and shifts to the seven of hearts. Declarer wins in dummy with the nine, while I discard the spade deuce.

My picture of the hand is becoming clearer. It appears partner split on the first heart from jack-ten fifth. The eight of spades was probably low from queen-nine-eight, so that gives declarer

♠ A 6 ♥ A K 8 2 ♦ ? ? ♣ K 10 7 5 4

Why he bid this way with only four hearts I can't say. Declarer plays a diamond to the queen. Partner wins with the king and plays the queen of spades. Seems a low one would have been better. Declarer can hardly afford to finesse, since he will go down if the finesse loses. Declarer wins with dummy's king, plays a diamond to the ace, draws partner's last trump, and claims the balance. He can pitch his two club losers on dummy's two jacks. Making an overtrick for minus 690.

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

Ruffing the second round of clubs is somewhat counter-intuitive, but it was correct. Leading away from the jack of hearts to remove dummy's last trump, however, was not. Presumably partner wanted to prevent declarer from ruffing a club in dummy. But what's the rush? Declarer needs to play the club ace to do that. Partner can always ruff the club ace and then play a heart. If partner had shifted to a spade (as I asked him to do -- ahem), we would have fared better.  If declarer finesses, he makes his contract but no overtricks.  If he rises with the king and takes a diamond finesse, he will actually go down.

As for South's auction, I still don't understand it. Why not just raise two notrump to three? Or to four if you are so inclined?

At the other table, South opens two notrump in fourth seat. As I've said in earlier posts, I don't see the point of offshape two notrump openings. You're unlikely to miss a game opening one club, and, if you have a slam, you are certainly more likely to have an intelligent auction after one club than after two notrump.

North bids three spades, which the footnote calls "minor suit asking," whatever that means. South bids four clubs, showing a five-card club suit, North cue-bids four spades, and South Blackwoods his way into six clubs. West leads the jack of hearts. This gives declarer the heart suit. To make this, he needs to pick up clubs and to guess which pointed-suit finesse to take (or to decide to play for a squeeze).

Declarer wins the heart with the king and plays a club to the ace. He plays a low club from dummy, and East splits with the jack. This is ill-advised. If East plays the nine and declarer inserts the ten, what has he lost? It's not as if East needs the tempo. In fact, if he plays the nine, declarer may well spurn the "safety" play for fear of a heart ruff.

Declarer takes the king and leads a low spade to the jack. I suppose, given the trump break, he thought the spade finesse was more likely to work than the diamond finesse. There are no further difficulties. Making six.

I still can't tell if the psyche gained or not.  If they reach six clubs at my table, they might go down, since I wouldn't split the club honors.  I replay it to see what would happen if I pass in third seat. The auction begins as my teammates' auction did, but North raises four clubs to five.  South goes on to six clubs, and North corrects to six notrump.  Against this contract, partner leads a low heart.  Declarer wins in his hand with the eight, crosses to the queen of hearts, and takes a diamond finesse.  If you consider the diamond suit in isolation, partner's best choice would be to duck, probably holding declarer to two diamond tricks.  But, in context, this wouldn't be a good idea.  Declarer would simply play on clubs and come to twelve tricks.

Partner wins the diamond and continues diamonds.  Declarer takes his ace, crosses to the club ace, and cashes the jack of diamonds.  When my ten falls, he has eleven top tricks.  At this point, I suspect we will beat it.  Declarer has a choice between a spade finesse or a black suit squeeze against me.  Since he will soon know I began with five spades, the squeeze will be the percentage choice.  (In fact, if he knows me, the squeeze will be a lock.  I would have psyched without the queen of spades after all.)

It doesn't work out that way.  When declarer cashes the club king, partner pitches a spade, giving declarer a claim.  Once again, Jack's assumption that declarer is playing double-dummy proves fatal.  At least I  know the psyche gained.  I'd hate to think I could have picked up 14 imps just by passing.

Me: -690
Jack: -920

Score on Board 97: +6 IMPs
Total: -82 IMPs