Board 99

Board 99
Opponents vulnerable

♠ 10 7 6 4 ♥ J ♦ Q 8 7 6 3 ♣ A K 4

Seven losers and four controls. Looks like an opening bid to me. I open one diamond, LHO bids one heart, and partner bids one spade. RHO bids three diamonds, which is identified as a constructive raise. I'm not sure how this differs from two diamonds. There's not much point in opening this hand if I'm not going to raise spades when partner bids them, so I bid three spades. LHO cue-bids four diamonds, and RHO signs off in four hearts, ending the auction. Partner leads the deuce of diamonds.

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

West	North	East	South
		1 ♦	1 ♥
1 ♠	3 ♦	3 ♠	4 ♦
Pass	4 ♥	(All pass)

Is two club tricks, the ace of spades, and a trump trick too much to hope for? Declarer rises with the diamond king. I encourage with the eight, and declarer plays the four. He plays a heart to the jack, ace, and nine and another heart to dummy's queen as partner plays the ten. So declarer is six-three in the red suits. He probably has three spades, since partner might have gone on to four spades with six of them. That leaves him with a singleton club. His spade holding probably includes the ace or king, since partner didn't lead a spade.  If my construction is correct, all we can take is one club trick and possibly one spade trick if partner has the ace. I pitch the spade deuce.

Declarer leads a diamond--seven--jack--five. Strange. Why didn't he duck the first trick with ace-jack third? He wanted to win in dummy to lead up to his ace-king sixth of hearts? He cashes the diamond ace and pitches dummy's queen of spades. He can't ruff all three spades in dummy, so he needs to establish clubs. I suppose he's going to play a club, use one entry to ruff out my other club honor, then use the second entry to reach the club suit.

Declarer plays the club deuce--three--seven. I win with the ace. Partner's three of clubs confirms that declarer's club is indeed a singleton. It probably doesn't matter whether I return a spade or a diamond. But, on principle, I'd just as soon not help declarer place the spade honors. I play the six of diamonds, declarer and partner pitch low spades, and dummy ruffs. Declarer plays the eight of clubs, I play low, and he ruffs it! He can ruff only one spade, so he makes five.

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

Interesting. Declarer seems to have played me for

♠ A x x ♥ J ♦ Q x x x x ♣ A x x x

Perhaps that looks more like an opening bid to him than the hand I held, and perhaps he's right. But I don't think I would have bid three spades on a minimum opening without a fourth trump. Take note, however, that if I had exited with a spade instead of a diamond, declarer would have played the king and discovered the location of the spade ace. He then could not go wrong. Even though I didn't have this specifically in mind when I led a diamond, I did choose the diamond for the reason it worked: because, unlike a spade, it revealed nothing. It's nice when following sound general principles pays off unexpectedly.

[Added at 12:37- It has been pointed out to me that, when I exited with a diamond, declarer should have ruffed in his hand and led the king of spades.  West knows declarer is going to ruff this, so he shouldn't cover.  But he might.  It certainly doesn't hurt to give West the chance to be careless.  This kind of pseudo-discovery play is completely beyond Jack's current capabilities.]

At the other table, my hand passes, and the auction proceeds one heart--four hearts. That hand's a little good for four hearts by my standards. It looks like a limit raise to me. West again leads the deuce of diamonds. This time declarer rides it around to his hand. Without no opposing bidding, he has no reason not to take the obvious twelve tricks, picking up an imp. And Edgar used to lecture me that opening light just helps the opponents in the play!

No post on Monday.  See you Tuesday.

Me: -650
Jack: -680

Score on Board 99: +1 IMP
Total: -71 IMPs